THE GIFT
by kinoa
Summary: Angel is given his family. Connor decides to stand by Angels side and learn the family business. (Follow up to The PTB's Boss Sends Help)
1. Default Chapter

THE GIFT

Chapter 1

"You 'must' be pregnant Cordy. What other reason could their possibly be for you being sick morning, noon, and night. Thank goodness Spike isn't here. He would be making jokes about me every time I got sick also." Angel was laying on the bed with an ice pack on his forehead. Cordelia was sitting at the table munching on crackers. She had awakened just an hour ago and had jumped up to run into the bathroom. Five minutes later Angel had run to the bathroom. Fortunately his food was mostly liquid these days so he could use the bathroom sink.

The part Angel didn't like was that Cordelia got over it a lot easier then he did. She didn't seem to be in any rush to make an appointment with Dr. Thompson so he thought he would try some of her tactics that she used on him when she wanted something and he didn't give in fast enough. He went over to her and got on his knees and pulled her chair over so he could lay his head on her lap.

"Please Cordy, call Dr. Thompson. It's dangerous for me to be weak like this. What if you had a vision and I was too weak to help someone. Or what if we had an actual client and Wesley and Gunn had to handle it because I was to weak from constantly throwing up. You wouldn't want that to happen would you?" Angel used his puppy dog eyes, as Cordy called them. That always made her heart melt and he would get exactly what he wanted.

"Phfffft! Please, you have used that on me so many times I ran out of fingers and toes to count on. I got your number mister." She turned back to her crackers and the newspaper she was reading. Angel got up from the floor disappointed that it didn't work. He went to the refrigerator to get a container of blood. He was so hungry he drank it right from the container. These days he found that the cold blood made his stomach feel good. It was a lot like a person that drank cold milk, it just tasted so good going down and was so soothing. He just leaned against the counter and drank the cold blood.

"Besides I took a home test this morning and it was positive and I made an appointment with Dr. Thompson for 6 p.m. tonight so you could go with me if you want." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. It took him awhile to realize what she had said.

"You vixen. You were letting me carry on when you had already done what I had wanted you to." He was by her side in two steps. He picked her up and kissed her. When he pulled away from her he licked his lips. "Mmmm, you taste salty and full of crackers." "They settle my stomach, and if you don't want me to get sick again you had better lay off of the wise cracks about my crackers." He backed up. "Yes Mam. In fact we can stop at the store tonight and buy all the crackers you'll need for the next few months." Angel said with a smile.

"I'm serious Angel. This baby will have a hard enough time. I don't want to take any risk with drugs that are supposed to make me feel better. We will just have to weather this storm and hope it gets better as I go along in this pregnancy. Let's go downstairs now I'm getting hungry and it's only 12 o'clock so we have a long time before we have to leave." Angel put his container of blood back into the refrigerator and they both went downstairs.

Fred was at the counter reading a magazine and hoping that someone would call for help. It's not that she wanted someone to be in trouble because that would be wrong but it would me nice to have something to do. She had dusted and cleaned floors several times this week all by herself because Cordelia was always to sick to help. But even with all of the cleaning to do by herself she still had time on her hands.

Fred perked up a little when she heard Angel and Cordelia coming down stairs. Cordelia was munching on crackers all the time it took them to walk to the kitchen.

"Good afternoon. How are we feeling this morning?" Both Angel and Cordelia replied at the same time on the same subject but each replying a little differently. Cordelia answered with "We are okay as long as I constantly have something in my stomach." Angel answered with "As long as she constantly has something in her stomach I am okay."

"Have some protein Cordelia, it takes longer to digest." Fred yelled.

"I have to figure out something to do because if I continue like this I'm going to weigh 200 pounds by the time this baby is born." Cordelia didn't notice Connor and Wesley sitting at the dining room table when she said it. Her mind was on getting something to eat. Angel saw them though. Wesley and Connor were both looking at them with their mouths open.

"Uh, she isn't sure, uh she just took a home pregnancy test this morning." Angel said.

"And was it positive or negative?" Wesley asked.

"Uh, she said it was positive." Angel said. A big grin slowly spread across his face.

Wesley jumped up and congratulated Angel. "Well done old man, well done." Wesley said as he hugged Angel and patted him on the back." Angel responded by hugging him back. "It's only a home pregnancy test which isn't 100% correct but were going to Dr. Thompson's tonight to make sure that she is pregnant and I hope give her something for this constant morning sickness."

"You mean you really are feeling everything that she is going thru?" Wesley asked. Unfortunately for Angel, Cordelia had heard him. "I heard that, I told you that I am not going to take any drugs. So be brave and act like the man that I know you are."

Angel just looked at Wesley. "What am I going to do Wesley. I can't continue to be throwing up all of the time. I'm getting weak from the lack of food."

"Well why don't you just wait to see what Mike says. In the mean time I'll call Willow and ask her if there is an herbal tea that Cordelia can drink to help you two." Wesley said.

"Thanks Wesley." Angel said. Wesley went back to the table where Connor was still staring at Angel with his mouth open. "Well Connor it looks like you are going to become a sibling." "What's a sibling?" "A sibling is a brother or sister." Wesley said.

"I can hardly wait to tell grandma." Connor said.

"You really do love having Dr. Martin as a Grandmother don't you?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah, I do. Holtz used to talk to me about his parents and how they would just love it when they would see his kids. He said it was funny to hear his parents being called grandma and grandpa. He said his mother changed when she was around his children. She was no longer the stern mother that was constantly after him for one thing or another. She softened when she was with his kids. If they didn't keep their clothes clean, it was okay with grandma and if they didn't complete their chores, it was okay with grandpa. That's why I guess I was happy when Angel said that they had, had a mutual adoption between them. All I can think about is that everything I do will be okay with Grandma. Plus I can always tell Grandma what Angel is doing or not doing." Wesley was laughing at the thought. Unfortunately Connor was so involved with talking to Wesley that he didn't realize that Angel was standing behind him.

"You know I can tell Grandma about you to." Angel said as he drank a glass of cold blood.

"I haven't done anything wrong lately so what could you possibly have to tell her?"

"As I recall she told you to go to school and not to waste your mind. You still have a semester of school left in the school year. Have you investigated what you can do about what she told you. Have you talked to Wesley or Fred about what they think you should do?" Angel said. Cordelia walked in with a plate full of scrambled eggs and 4 pieces of wheat toast and a 2 inch steak cooked medium rare. She put the steak in front of Angel and cut out part of it and put it in the plate with the scrambled eggs then put 2 slices of toast on his plate then some of the scrambled eggs. She went back into the kitchen and came out with a big glass of whole milk then sat down and hungrily attacked the plate full of food. Angel dug into his steak. He was just as hungry. Connor and Wesley just watched them. Angel felt their eyes on him.

"What's the matter?" Angel asked Connor and Wesley.

"Angel, Cordelia is the one eating for 2." Wesley said.

"I told you that I feel everything that she does." Angel said as he continued to shovel the food in his mouth.

Wesley noticed how when Cordelia stopped to drink some of her milk that Angel would stop and drink some of his blood.

"I wonder how it's going to affect you when the baby starts getting big enough to press on her bladder all of the time. I remember a friend of mine when she was pregnant in her last trimester she was constantly going to the bathroom. I can just see it now, one night we'll be fighting a bunch of demons or vampires and Angel will take his demon and put him on a hook so that he can't get away and he tells him, I'll be right back I have to take a leak." Wesley and Connor cracked up at the thought.

Angel just looked at Cordelia, Wesley and Connor. "If you guys don't let up on teasing me I am going to make life just as unpleasant for you two." Angel was finished with his breakfast so he got up and walked over behind Wesley and Connor and put his arms around their shoulder's. "Don't forget the hormone fed mood swings. Now Cordelia is probably going to make life hard on me which means I am going to make life hard on you people. So we will all get to go through this pregnancy together." He grabbed Connor and Wesley around the neck and gave each one a kiss on their forehead. Then walked over to his office laughing a wicked laugh.

The two men looked at Cordelia imploringly. "Don't look at me guys. You're the ones that are digging your own graves, one shovel full at a time. If you consider Gunn a friend you will tell him what just happened so that Angel doesn't have to go through the same speech again. And we all know how Gunn loves to tease Angel." Cordelia picked up hers and Angels dishes and went to the kitchen.

Angel stayed in his office for the next 3 hours working on nothing in particular. All of a sudden he heard a voice other then Angelus. It kept on repeating to him a question. "Have you called Morgan lately like you promised you would?" If he continued doing whatever he was doing he heard the voice again. "Have you called Morgan lately like you promised you would?" After about the fifth time of hearing it he knew what it was. It was a guilty conscience that his new Mom had instilled in his mind on the particular subject of Morgan. He bowed to the inevitable and called Morgan.

He dialed the number and sat back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk. The phone on the other end rang 5 times before it was picked up. "Morgan residence." The butler had answered the phone. "Hello, this is Angel, may I speak to either Mr. Morgan or Mrs. Morgan?" "I'm sorry but Mr. Morgan is busy right now and is unable to come to the phone at this time. Please wait one moment while I see if Mrs. Morgan is available." The butler put the phone on hold and went upstairs. He knocked on the door. "Yes Edward." Mrs. Morgan said when she opened the door. "I'm sorry to bother you Mrs. Morgan but Mr. Angel Martin is on the phone." "Thank you Edward I'll take it up here." Marissa picked up the phone. "Angel, hi this is Marissa." "Hi Marissa I was just calling to check on Morgan. How is he doing?" Angel asked. He was surprised at how happy Marissa sounded. It had only been a little over 8 weeks since he had arranged for Morgan to get his soul back.

"He's doing a little better Angel. By the way, Bobby and I took your advice and we chained David up downstairs in the wine cellar. He did like you warned us he might do. Several weeks ago Bobby and I were keeping an eye on him up in the bedroom. It was 3 in the afternoon and David had been in the closet in his usual corner. While Bobby and I were playing cards we didn't notice David walking out of the closet. I had the drapes to the balcony closed. We saw him just as he started to go through the curtains. The sun was pointing directly at the balcony. Bobby tackled him just as he was about to go out onto the balcony and commit suicide. When Bobby tackled David he pulled the curtains down with him and fortunately they covered both David and Bobby completely. David continued to fight with Bobby and Bobby had to hit him over the head with his gun. Ever since then we have had him chained up in the wine cellar during daylight hours. We only let him up here during the evening."

"How is he able to carry on with his business?" Angel asked.

"That is what is so weird Angel. I don't know if you know this but David takes care of most of his business during the evening hours for obvious reasons. Bobby and David have become glued at the hip and I swear if I didn't put my foot down he would be in there when David and I are in bed. Anyway Bobby and another guard take him to his office at 3 p.m. every day. Bobby says that as soon as the limo enters the underground parking lot he becomes his old self and it's business as usual. At first Bobby would go into the office with David until one day David told him that he would be okay and Bobby didn't have to stay with him. When he leaves the office he continues to discuss business with his secretary and other people that usually ride home with him. When they get to the house they all just leave in a van that follows them and are either dropped off at their own places or back to the office where they get their own cars. As soon as David comes back home he changes and we have to keep a constant eye on him."

"Where is he getting his blood from these days?"

"I fix him animal blood the same way Cordelia does for you. He likes it so much that the only time he has human blood is when he takes it from me. Angel why don't you and Cordelia come out here for dinner tonight. David won't be working and I am very sure that he would love to see you and Cordelia. In fact why don't you bring the rest also. David said that he would like to be able to talk with Wesley."

"I think we can do that. I'll have to get back with you though and let you know how many will be coming. The others are not here so as soon as they come back I'll give you a call. I have to tell you though that we won't be able to come until probably after 7 or 8 o'clock tonight. Cordy and I have an appointment to keep with Dr. Thompson. As soon as we are done we'll be out there." "Okay Angel I'll wait for your call. Bye." Marissa hung up and went to talk to David downstairs.

Angel hung up. He leaned back in his chair. "Why did I have to get stuck with you Angelus? Every one else that gets their soul back gets over the guilt phase in just a few months. You make me suffer for years." "Like I've always told you and Dr. Martin, I have to get my kicks somehow and you're the only one I can torture." Angelus answered in Angels mind as he laughed.

Cordelia had approached Angels office door. She heard him talking so she waited a bit. At first she thought he was on the phone. Then she heard him say Angelus. She walked in at that point.

"Who are you talking to?" "Angelus." Angel answered.

"Is he bothering you more than usual?" Cordelia asked. "No, I was just on the phone with Marissa. I was asking her how Morgan was doing." "And?" Cordelia asked.

"He's doing okay. In fact Marissa asked all of us to come for dinner tonight. I told her it would be late because we had a Doctors appointment. It seems that Morgan goes back to his normal self during the evening when he usually goes to work, but during the day they have to chain him up in the wine cellar. Here I get Willow to return his soul so that he could suffer like we did and it turns out to be a gift of the good kind. It looks like he'll have as easy a time as Spike had. So I was asking Angelus why I had to get stuck with a mean bastard like him." "And what did he say?" Cordelia asked. "He said the same as he always does. 'I have to get my kicks somehow and you're the most convenient one around.'" Angel stood up and beat his chest like a big gorilla. "What are you doing?" "I wish I could get my hands on him for just a few minutes so that I could beat his ass good. But unfortunately his ass is mine." Angel smiled as he started to walk out of his office.

Wesley had been in his office during the afternoon also. When he heard Angel and Cordelia he came out of his office also.

"I'm glad your both here. I've been busy looking up herbal remedies for morning sickness. Everything I've found so far can have possible side affects and I am sure you don't want any of that. I didn't want to call Willow until you received an official confirmation of your pregnancy by Dr. Thompson. If you get an affirmative from him then I'll call her tomorrow if that's okay with you?" "Yeah, that's okay. But why don't we go to Sunnydale though?" Cordelia looked at Angel and Wesley. "It's been quiet and I've only had 2 visions since Dr. Martin left and we only had 2 clients which you already took care of. So how about it?"

Angel just looked at Wesley and Cordelia. "You know that Spike is going to be laughing at me all the time I'm there if you don't get your morning sickness under control."

"I promise you that Spike will be a good boy. I'll talk to Buffy about it, okay?" Cordelia looked at Angel. She walked up to him and took his hands and pulled him back into his office and closed the door behind them. She put his hands on her body and guided them over her breasts and down over her stomach and then around to her back. "This will be a nice vacation for us before our time is taken up by our little girl or boy starts taking over our lives." Cordelia had put her hands under his shirt and was rubbing them over his chest. She pulled her hands out from under his shirt and reached up and pulled his head down into a kiss. He responded with a gentle kiss. Then pulled away. Then he did to her the same thing she had done to him that morning.

"Pffft! It's not going to work missy. You've done that to me so many times that I lost count."

"Did it work?" Cordelia asked as she flashed her million dollar smile at him.

Angel let her go and walked out of the office. He was going to take his time at answering her. He walked over to Wesley's office. "Cordelia and I are going to Morgans when we leave Dr. Thompson's office. Marissa invited us all to dinner. Do you want to go?" "Yes I would. I would like to see how he is doing." Wesley said.

"Check with Fred and I'll see if I can locate Gunn and Connor." Angel started to leave then saw Cordelia standing outside of his office with her arms across her chest and giving him 'THE LOOK.' Angel turned back to Wesley, "Oh also we are going to be going to Sunnydale for a couple of weeks. Let me know who wants to go so I can tell Buffy to hire someone to clean the mansion and supply it and get everything else turned on before we get there." When Angel turned back towards Cordelia he just gave her a smile. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. "Anything for the mother of my children." She smiled at him and gave him a kiss then pushed him away. "I have to get ready to go to Dr. Thompson. Since I've never been there before we had better get there early so that I can fill out any paper work." "Okay, I am going to see if I can find Connor and Gunn." Angel said.

Angel went into his office and called Gunn first. Gunn answered his cell phone. "Hello, this is Gunn." "Gunn this is Angel, we've been invited to go to Morgan and Marissa's for dinner around 8 tonight. Can you make it?" "Sorry boss, I'm going to be helping out my boys tonight. Connors with me also. We're going to be checking on a group that has taken over one of the houses in my old neighborhood." Gunn answered. "If you need any help just give us a call. Wesley and I think Fred will be coming with Cordy and I. Be careful." Angel said, then hung up. Angel wasn't one for doing a lot of talking on the phone. He usually got right to the point of the call then hung up. After hanging up with Gunn he went looking for Wesley and found him upstairs. Angel could hear him in Fred's room. He went over to Fred's room and knocked on the door. Fred answered it. "Hi Angel, Wesley told me about tonight and I'll be coming with you guys." "That's good. I know Wesley is in here can I ask you two to take Cordy to Dr. Thompson's? It's too early for me to go out and she wants to go early so she can fill out any paperwork that they may want from her. I'll meet you there as soon as I can go out." Wesley came over to the door. His face was red from his embarrassment at being caught in Fred's room.

"I'll be happy to do it Angel. When does she want to leave?" Wesley asked. "I don't know. Do you have any idea Fred as to how early Cordy should be their before the 6 o'clock appointment?" Angel asked. "I think we should be their at least 45 minutes early." "It will take at least 30 minutes to get there and I will be waiting on 2 women to get ready to go so I think I'll add on at least 15 minutes on to that which means we should tell them we have to leave by 4:15." Wesley said. Somehow he sensed that now was the time to duck. He was right because Fred swung at him.

To the mens surprise the women were ready by 4. Wesley ushered the women out the door and Angel went to his office to wait until the sun went down far enough so that he could go to his car. Since this was winter the sun went down far enough by 5 p.m. and Angel got up to lock all of the doors and then exited out of the back to go to his car. This was Friday so he had to deal with the traffic, but he was still able to make it to Dr. Thompson's office by 5:30. He went in through the front this time and found Cordy, Fred and Wesley sitting in the waiting room. Cordy was still filling out the paper work. He saw Fred filling out paper work also. He stared at Fred for a minute, wondering why she was filling out papers also. He looked at Wesley. Wesley made a motion for Angel to follow him outside for a minute.

Angel followed him outside. "Why is Fred filling out papers also?" Angel asked.

"I don't know but I have a feeling that I nailed her the first time we had sex. I don't know if you know this or not Angel but for some reason, and no one knows why, women that live or work together tend to start having their menstrual cycle at the same time. Remember that morning that we were making fun of Buffy and Spike and how they were making so much noise when they were having sex in the morning?" "Yes." Angel answered. "Well that same morning Fred came over to my room and said 'Listening to those two is like smelling popcorn. You just have to have it also, so if you still want me Wesley here I am.' That was shortly before you must have nailed Cordelia."

Angel was watching Wesley walk back and forth. "What are you so nervous about and what makes you think that Fred is pregnant?" Angel asked. "Fred and Cordelia were in the back seats and they were talking about the dates of their last period. They were just talking away as though they were the only ones in the vehicle. My face must have been as red as a beet. I've never been very comfortable when women are talking about such things to each other."

Cordelia stuck her head out the door at that time. "Come on Angel they are ready for me now." "I'm coming." Angel answered. Wesley followed him in. Wesley was so nervous that if he smoked he probably would have been lighting one cigarette with the last one. Wesley went in and sat next to Fred. Fred looked at Wesley, his leg must have been shaking a mile a minute. "What's wrong Wesley? You look so nervous." Fred asked. Wesley took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound as calm as possible. "Fred are you pregnant?" Fred looked at him. "What makes you think I'm pregnant?" "Because of the way you and Cordelia were talking in the back seat and the fact your filling out papers and have made an appointment to see Dr. Thompson." Wesley took another deep breath. He was glad he finally got the nerve up to ask her. Fred just stared at him with her mouth open. Then she thought about it and decided to handle it calmly. "No Wesley I don't think I'm pregnant. I just have to be careful. The women in my family have a history of cervical cancer so I have to have regular checkups. I haven't had a checkup since I came back from Pylea." Wesley leaned back in his chair. He took his handkerchief out of his pocket and cleaned his glasses then wiped his forehead.

"You had me worried there for a minute Fred." "Why, don't you want to have children someday. Don't forget that Dr. Martin said that we had to hurry up and start having our family."

"I know but let's at least get married first." Fred just looked at Wesley. Wesley saw the look she was giving him. He thought to himself 'Oh shit, that was a mistake. I don't know what was wrong with what I said but I think I'll be sleeping on the proverbial couch for awhile.' Fred didn't say anything more though. She just took her paperwork up to the receptionist and then returned to her seat beside Wesley. She picked up a magazine and started flipping through the magazine.

One of the nurses escorted Angel back to the examination room that Cordelia was in. When he entered he found Cordelia in a hospital gown and sitting on the examination table. The nurse was taking some blood from her and also told her that they would need a urine donation. She had already taken her blood pressure and temperature. "I'll be right back Angel." Angel took a seat next to the examination bed. Cordelia was back in a few minutes. He helped her to get back up on the bed. Cordelia was the last patient for the day so it was quiet in the building. Except for one nurse Dr. Thompson had let everyone else go. He walked in after about 15 minutes.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Martin. You two certainly didn't waste time. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you but I was taking a look at your blood to see if I could see anything unusual under a microscope. I didn't want to send your blood to a lab and have them send back a weird report accompanied with a lot of questions. Dr. Martin had told me that something had been done to you so that you didn't suffer so much from the visions you had to help Angel. She didn't explain what was done so I thought it would be better if I just check it, but it looks fine to me so we will just send it to the lab. Okay, lets check you out Cordelia. Would you put your feet up in the stirrups. Dr. Thompson called the nurse in and he put his gloves on and examined Cordelia. When he was done he told her to put her legs down. The nurse came in and prepared the samples that he had taken to send to the lab. He finished examining the rest of her. He showed Angel how to help Cordelia check her breasts for any lumps. While examining them he noticed the two red spots on either side of her nipples and on each breast. He was just about to ask about them when he looked up to Angel. Angels face rarely showed that he was blushing but this time he was so embarrassed that he couldn't help but turn beet red. Angel looked at Dr. Thompson and a big grin went across his face. "I'll explain later." Angel said. "I'll be looking forward to your explanation but no matter what the explanation is you have to stop doing it as she gets into her last trimester." Dr. Thompson said. He continued with the examination and also checked the area where they had performed the surgery. He could barely tell that anything had been done. How are you feeling now when you and Angel have intercourse? Does it hurt anymore and can he go all the way inside of you?" "No more problems." Cordelia looked at Angel and told Dr. Thompson 'the first time we did it after the surgery was the most painful one but I think that was partly because of when I was raped. Dr. Martin told me to control the whole thing and I took him very slowly because of the pain but I didn't leave any blood on him and everything was better each time we did it after that." "That's good. Well Cordelia I am about 99.9% sure that you are pregnant. Everything that I have seen while examining you tells me that there is definitely a bun in the oven and your body has already started to take care of your baby. I'll call you though as soon as I have the confirmation from the lab that you are pregnant. When I get the lab results I will also be able to tell you what kind of vitamins to take. Why don't you get up and get dressed now and I'll have some reading material for you before you leave." "I hate to bother you but I don't suppose you have any crackers here?" Cordelia said. Her stomach was empty and she was starting to get sick.

"Yes, I do. Follow me." Dr. Thompson said as he walked down the hall and over to the break room. He opened the cabinet over the counter. There must have been 20 or 30 boxes of crackers. He stepped back and said "After all this is where we get 10 to 15 pregnant women a day." Cordelia laughed. "I am in cracker heaven." She pulled down a box. There was 4 packages in the box and she took one and opened it right away and started eating. Dr. Thompson looked at Angel. He noticed that he was looking a little green around the gills.

"Don't tell me your feeling everything Cordelia is Angel?" "Yes I am." Angel said as he was leaning over with his hands on his knees. "Eat faster Cordelia or I am going to let it go right here." Cordelia tried eating faster.

"Since you haven't asked me for anything for morning sickness I take it you don't want to take a chance with any drugs?" "Yup, you got that right." Cordelia said around a mouth full of crackers.

Cordelia sat down for a minute after she got a can of 7 UP from the machine in the kitchen. "Have you seen a Marissa Morgan within the last month Dr. Thompson?" Cordelia said as soon as she could swallow her last mouth full of crackers. "Yes I saw her just last week. Do you know her?" "Yes, we're going to they're house for dinner tonight, would you like to go? I don't think she would mind. Have you met her husband yet?" "No, he didn't come with her, but yes I think it would be nice going out after a long day. I'll be ready to go as soon as you are."

Angel started feeling a little better now that Cordelia had some crackers in her. Let's go then. He started walking toward the front.

Cordelia and Angel headed for the front of the office. Angel was a little wobbly but he became more steady on his feet as they started to walk out. He saw Wesley and Fred. Fred had taken a seat on the other side of the office. Cordelia whispered to Angel. "First lovers quarrel."

"Let's go. We invited Dr. Thompson to go with us. Dr. Thompson do you want to ride with Cordelia and I or drive your own car and follow us." Angel asked.

"I'll drive my own. I don't want to leave my car here." Dr. Thompson said. As they all went out of the door Dr. Thompson handed Cordelia some reading material and a list of books she could buy that would explain exactly what her body would be going through in the next few months. He handed Angel some reading material also then turned the lights out and set the security alarm on then locked the door. Angel and Wesley waited for Dr. Thompson to get his car and come to the front so he could follow Angel to the Morgans house. Angels eyes almost fell out when he saw the red Viper he came out with.

"Angel close your mouth and lets get going. I'll call Marissa to let her know we are on our way with Dr. Thompson." Cordelia said as she pulled her cell phone out.

They made it to the Morgans in only 40 minutes. They pulled up to the front gate and Angel pressed the button on the security box. A voice came out of the box. "May I help you?" "This is Angel. The Morgans are expecting us." "Oh hi Angel, this is Bobby. I'll see you when you get to the front." The gates started to open and Angel drove through to the front of the house. Dr. Thompson pulled up behind him and Wesley after Dr. Thompson. Marissa met them at the door. She gave Cordelia and Fred a hug and acknowledged Angel with a bow. She shook Dr. Thompson and Wesley's hand.

"I am so happy you could come Dr. Thompson." Marissa said as she led them into the living room. "Can I get anyone something to drink?" "Yes, do you have any 7UP?" Cordelia asked. "Yes I believe we do. Would anyone else like something?" The rest declined and Marissa went out of the room for a minute. Bobby came in at that time with David Morgan. Morgan was dressed in casual clothes. The men stood up as he came in. Morgan went right to Angel and shook his hand. Then he went to Wesley and shook his hand. Marissa came in with Cordelia's 7UP and then introduced David to Dr. Thompson. "David this is Dr. Thompson. He is the one I went to see last week. Remember Dr. Martin thought their must be a reason why I haven't been able to get pregnant and she gave me a phone number." "Yes I remember." David said. He seemed to be in a kind of fog. His eyes looked like glass and except for his initial greeting he hadn't focused on anyone in particular. "Dr. Thompson is a gynecologist. He is a specialist in taking care of women and he thinks he can help us." As Marissa said this David became more focused. He looked at Dr. Thompson. "So can you tell us why Marissa has been unable to conceive?" "Yes Mr. Morgan I can. It will be a simple procedure to clear up Marissa's problem. For some reason she has scar tissue in her fallopian tubes. All we have to do is clean it up and she should be okay. Then you 2 can be just as lucky and happy as Angel and Cordelia."

Marissa jumped up and went to Cordelia. "Are you really pregnant?" "That's what Dr. Thompson tells me." Cordelia answered with a big smile. Marissa hugged Cordelia. "I am so happy for you."

David went over to Angel. "Congratulations Angel. I am sure it couldn't happen to two more deserving people." David said as he shook Angels hand. Then he went over to Cordelia and gave her a hug and congratulated her as well. Everyone sat down again after all of the congratulations were done.

"I heard you wanted to talk to me Mr. Morgan?" Wesley asked. "Yes I did Wesley, but please call me David." "Okay David." Wesley answered. "If you don't mind though you, Angel,

Dr. Thompson, and I can have a talk after dinner and the ladies can talk by themselves as well." Just as he said that the Butler came in to announce that dinner was served. Everyone got up and Marissa and David led them into the dinning room which was large but cozy. The walls were covered with cabinets and shelves containing plates, glasses, and coffee cups. David and Marissa sat together and Cordelia and Angel sat next to each other. Dr. Thompson sat in between Marissa and Cordelia. Fred and Wesley took the remaining seats. Two women brought in the food. They served liver and onions with mashed potatoes and string beans and salads. Angel and David were given rare steaks and a tall glass of blood warmed to exactly 98 degrees. Angel waited for David to drink some of his and then he took a sip of his glass of blood. "Mmm that's very good. Marissa make sure you let Cordy know what has been put in my drink." "It's not what has been put in the drink Angel it's where it came from." David said. "We keep a small heard of prize winning cattle in the back. So the blood is extra fresh." They all were quiet for a few minutes while they had their dinner. Unfortunately for Cordelia Dr. Thompson was sitting next to her and when the butler started to pour her another glass of wine he put his hand over it. "No more then 1 glass of wine a day Cordelia." He looked at the butler. "Would you get Mrs. Martin a tall glass of milk please." "Yes sir." The butler said. "You have to think of your baby now Cordy. Everything you do from now on and until you deliver, you will have to ask yourself, is this good for my baby?" Cordy looked at Angel who was smiling. "You won't have that grin on your face for very long Daddy because the next time I start feeling sick I'll take just a little bit longer to eat those crackers, and you know how it takes you longer to get over it then I do. So hah!" Angel lost the grin immediately. "I am truly sorry Cordy please forgive me? Please, please forgive me. I don't like being sick." "Okay your forgiven." Cordy said. Angel heard Wesley laughing. "Don't forget what I said Wesley." "Oh please Angel I am truly sorry, please forgive me." Wesley continued to laugh. "The next 8 months are going to be the most fun months I've ever had. But I will confer with my colleague Mr. Gunn and I believe we will be able to set up a schedule where we will be able to plan our teasing so that we aren't coming at you from both sides at the same time." Wesley said. "How kind of you." Angel said.

"Are you telling me that you feel everything Cordy feels?" David asks. "Yes Morgan, every time she gets sick I do to. I just do it a few minutes after she does. Worse yet I take longer to get over it then she does. So now you know how serious her threat is to me." "Are you sure you want to go through this David?" Wesley asked.

"Yes, I will go through anything in order for Marissa and I to have children." David said as he looked at his wife. Marissa bent over to give her husband a kiss of thanks.

"Now Cordelia, don't forget what Dr. Martin told you." Fred said. "What are you talking about?" Cordelia asked. "Remember when you tried playing with Angels mind and told him that it was all of the husbands fault for the choice of the sex of the baby. Remember that she said how fragile mens minds were when it came to such things as procreation. Now here you are playing with him again. He went through hell so that you two could be together and here you are now taking advantage of him again. He is going to go through everything with you Cordy. It's not like he is going to just listen to you complaining about all of your problems but he is going to actually go through everything with you. Now I think you owe Angel an apology and you also need to promise him that you won't ever take advantage of his special situation again. Just think about it Cordy, Angel is going to feel all of the pain that you will as you go through labor and finally push your baby out into the world. It may take as little as 4 hours or as much as 36. He will experience every single contraction along with you." After Fred said that it was quiet for a few seconds, then they heard a crash. Everybody looked at Angel. He wasn't at the end of the table anymore. Cordelia looked down at the floor. Wesley and every one else jumped up and went over to check at what Cordelia was looking at. What they found was Angel. He had fainted while listening to Fred actually say what he was going to have to go through.

Dr. Thompson had knelt down at Angels side to check him. He found his pulse was non existant. He lifted his eyelids and checked his pupils. Then he started laughing. He looked up at the rest and especially Fred. "Apparently you scared Angel so bad that he fainted. Help me get him up Wesley." Wesley was laughing so hard he didn't have the strength to lift Angel up. His laugh was contagious and Dr. Thompson started laughing also. They both sat on the floor. Laughing robs your strength so neither one of them where able to lift him.

"You women have to remember that we, that is us men, have heard you women talk about having babies and all of the pain and suffering that you go through since the beginning of time. I guess now that Angel is going to actually go through the same thing all of the things that he has heard women talk about has him scared. Don't forget that during his time when he was still human women frequently died in childbirth. So what both Cordelia and Fred are doing, although your intentions were pure Fred, all you did was make it worse. Lets pick him up now. Wesley wiped the grin off his face and helped Dr. Thompson lift Angel up. As they lifted him Angel started to regain consciousness.

"What happened?" Angel asked. David gave him a small glass full of some type of liqueur. Angel took it and drank it all at one time. "Thank you." David took the glass from Angel and asked him "How are you feeling?" "Better then I felt a few minutes ago. All of a sudden I felt so light headed then the lights went out." Cordelia kissed him on the forehead and hugged his head to her chest. "I'm sorry Angel I promise that I will never do anything to make you feel sick." "Thank you, I would greatly appreciate it." "Can you stand Angel?" David asked. "Yeah, I'm okay now." "Lets go into the library then. Wesley and Dr. Thompson would you join us please?" All of the men followed David into the Library. David closed the door after them.

David turned around and found Dr. Thompson and Angel laughing. "You picked up on what I was doing right away. Thanks for playing along and adding in that in my youth women frequently died in childbirth. That was perfect." "Don't mention it and I really mean don't mention it. I love them all Angel but we men have to stick together and present a united front sometimes." Dr. Thompson said. "You mean that was all an act?" David asked Angel. "Of course it was David. I can't let her hold that over my head all of the time. She already has me wrapped around her little finger so tightly that if she pulls me any tighter all of my blood will squeeze out of my guts. The little vixen."

"Why did you want to talk to me David?" Wesley asked as he sat down in a luxurious leather chair that he just melted into. "I wanted to ask you if I had a watcher assigned to me, and if I do who is it?"

"No David you don't have a watcher assigned to you. You used to but they are all dead now. Rupert Giles is the only one left. A group of demons blew up the previous council and all of the watchers. Giles was the only one that wasn't there for a meeting and I was fired by the previous council." "Why were you fired?" David asked. "Lets just say that the council and I no longer agreed on certain aspects of being a Watcher. Since the old council was all killed and Giles has taken over he has brought me back into the Watchers. Currently I am Angels Watcher, but I am, shall we say, selective on what I report on." Wesley said.

"Wesley is more of a friend and a colleague then a watcher. Just recently we have learned that

'The Powers that Be' want Fred and Wesley's relationship and future children to be a part of Angel investigation. Gunn and whoever he marries will be with us. Although Lorne doesn't know it yet he will also be a part of Angel investigations also. Friends that we have developed during the past years will be a part in some way also." Angel said.

"What about me Angel? Do you know if they have any plans for me to be included in Angel Investigations?" David asked. "I honestly don't know David. I can call Dr. Martin and ask her if she knows anything. Why are you asking all of these questions anyway?" Angel asked. "Because I want to know if there is a reason for me to continue. During the day I sink into a dark pit where everything that I have ever done as a vampire is thrown at me." Tears were starting to fall down David's face. His emotions were starting to overtake him as they did to Angel when he was going thru sessions with Dr. Martin. "Sometimes it gets so bad Angel that I become like the animal that is inside of me and all I can think of is running into the sun light so that I can end it all. Bobby chains me up in the basement first thing in the morning now. I know that Marissa has told you about why they do it now. At first they just kept watch over me during the day but then I tried committing suicide and that's when they started to chain me up in the wine cellar. The reason I am asking all of these questions Angel is that as soon as I go into work at night I am okay and it's business as usual. But as soon as I come home though I am back to the suffering, accusing myself of all of the people I have killed as a vampire over the years, and the urge to commit suicide. Their must be a reason for why I am being allowed to continue my business and I want to know why. I want a reason to continue Angel. Please help me to find out why." David broke down at that point. He was no longer able to control himself. He just leaned over and covered his face with his hands and was crying uncontrollably.

"Wesley would you please get Marissa." Angel went over to David and got on his knees and put his arm around David's shoulder. "I don't know why this is happening like it is David but my guess is that they have plans for you and that is why you are being allowed to carry on your business as usual. You still have to pay for everything you have done over the years. Your life has been different then mine though and I don't know about how your demon runs your life. I can't give you any words of wisdom but I can tell you that you are more lucky then I was. I went through what you are going through now for over a hundred years and I was all by myself. My sire didn't want anything to do with me after I regained my soul, so I lost the only family I had. I wandered Europe by myself feeding off of criminals and those that fed on the poor of society." The women had come in and Marissa came over to David's side and put her arms around him.

"David this will end soon for you I think. Once Marissa gets pregnant your going to have a new set of problems to deal with. The only thing that I can do for you is to advise you to talk to Spike. He went through this phase quickly and he might be able to help you put everything into perspective. Spike is my only surviving Childe. He is a pain in the ass most of the time but other times he shows himself to be a wise and intelligent person. I am going to have him call you sometime this week. If he can't help you David you can always talk to Dr. Martin. I have to tell you though that she is a Catholic nun. Don't be afraid of her though. She made me realize that we are not the ones that have to fear God, it's our resident demons that are afraid of Him and all that belongs to Him. Cordelia and I wouldn't be together now if it wasn't for her." Angel stood up and went to Cordelia and gave her a hug. David got up and came over to them.

"Angel and Cordelia please let me say this. Of all the people I have hurt over the years you 2 are the only ones that are still alive. Please accept my apology for all the suffering that I made you go through. I know that it's not enough but it may help you to know that I will suffer for it every time that I see you. I hope that by the time you or I leave this world that you will be able to find it in your heart to forgive me. It's getting late now and I always like to spend some time with Marissa before I need to go down to the basement again. So I am going to say goodnight for now. Thank you all for coming. Dr. Thompson, I haven't been able to talk to you about Marissa yet so would you come up to our bedroom with us for a few minutes?" "Yes David, I think that will be best also. We can talk in private." "Angel will you wait for me please. I don't think I'll be able to find my way out of these hills." Angel smiled at him. "I'll be right here waiting when you come down."

"Thanks." Dr. Thompson followed David and Marissa upstairs.

The rest sat back down again to wait for Dr. Thompson. Angel and Wesley were looking at the books in the room. He had some old volumes that Angel and Wesley were practically drooling over. Twenty minutes later Marissa came downstairs. It was still nighttime so she was comfortable with leaving David alone with Dr. Thompson for a few minutes. The butler Edward came over to them as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Marissa had called him before leaving the bedroom. "Did you need something Mrs. Morgan?" "Yes Edward, Mr. Morgan would like a tall glass of warm blood in a glass and he would like you to fix it the way you did last week. He said you would know what he means." "Yes Mam. I know exactly what he means." Edward smiled at the thought and went to fix the drink.

Marissa went into the Library. "Angel Dr. Thompson would like to see you and David together for a minute." Angel went upstairs to David's bedroom. "Is everything okay Marissa?" Cordelia asked.

"Everything is fine now. Dr. Thompson explained everything to David and he understands what has to be done in order for me to be able to conceive. He just wanted to talk to David and Angel at the same time." "I think I know what he's going to talk to them about." Cordelia pulled Marissa a short distance away from Fred and Wesley. "When he was examining me he saw two red dots on either side of my nipple and he asked what they were. Angel turned red and said he would explain later. I think Dr. Thompson has an idea as to what it is because he told Angel that no matter what it was it had to stop during the last trimester." When Cordelia said that they both had a sad look on their face. They both sighed at the same time.

Angel knocked at the door to the bedroom. "Come in Angel." David said. Angel came in and then closed the door behind him. "Marissa said you wanted to see me." "Okay Angel you know exactly why I wanted to see both of you together." Dr. Thompson said. Angel's face was starting to turn red. "Yes I have an idea." Angel said as he looked at David.

"Okay I'll get it started. Since I am taking care of both of your wives I need to know why does both Marissa and Cordelia have two red marks on either side of their nipples?" "Angel will explain since he is the master." David said. Angel had sat on the side of the bed next to David. They looked like two boys getting a scolding for something they did wrong. "Do you still have that tape David?" Angel asked. "Yes it's over here. Do you want me to play it for him?" "Yeah, it will be easier this way." David put the tape in the VCR and turned the TV on. "Have a seat Dr. Thompson." David said. This will explain it.

David watched the tape. He felt like he was watching a porno flick. It was his turn to turn red now. He didn't say anything until it was over. David crossed his legs half way through the tape. He remained seated with his legs crossed for awhile. He tried to keep his mind on the reason why he was asking these two vampires why their wives had similar marks on their breasts. He cleared his throat before talking. "Okay what exactly were you doing when you had your mouth on her breast?"

"Occasionally when we are having sex we give our wives a special Vampire treat. Just to let you know we only do it once in awhile, like once every 2 weeks or so. I am sure you guessed that, that was Cordy and I on our wedding night and no we didn't know that we were being watched. Anyway what I am doing to her is sucking on her breast hard enough to bring the blood to the surface of the skin. I then bite down just hard enough to get to that blood that is near the surface of the skin. Doing that drives the women wild and when we actually take it from their neck they climax so high that I always have to put my hand over her mouth so she doesn't wake up the whole block." Angel laid back on the bed. He heard Dr. Thompson clear his throat again and he knew what he was going to ask next. "No, humans cannot do the same thing. It's not the actual taking of the blood. I think that there is something in our saliva that causes the women to go wild like they do." "Does Dr. Martin know about this?" Dr. Thompson asked. "Yes, she heard me telling the other men about it after Spike tried it the previous night." "Did she take a sample of your saliva?" "No, I really don't think she was interested." "Well I am. Angel don't do that to Cordelia during the next couple of weeks. If she is having an orgasm that is that high I am concerned that it might cause her to have a miscarriage. After that it's okay up until the 3rd trimester then regular sex is ok but not the Vampire special. You can continue to have sex until she is no longer comfortable but I am warning you that she may not want sex at all. Don't forget what I said David because you will probably be going through this also within the next few months. Next time both of you have sex and the Vampire special is on the menu try to give me a sample of your saliva. I need you to bring it to me as soon as possible. Here is my home phone number. Call me when you have it and I'll meet you at my office."

"We can't let you do that Dr. Thompson. It's to dangerous. We have to think of our families. If someone should take the samples they may do something that will hurt or even kill us." Angel told him. "Why Angel? You gave samples of your blood to Dr. Martin." Dr. Thompson said. He was surprised that Angel would refuse his request.

"Yes but I know her quiet well. If you can tell me that you are going to take the samples to a convent and test them then we will comply with your request. If you can't then my refusal will stand." Angel said.

Dr. Thompson smiled. "I see your point. Now though I am going to have to tell you something that Cordelia isn't going to like. You have to stop giving Cordelia the Vampire special. We don't know what kind of an affect your saliva can have on the developing fetus. I'm not telling you this because I want to get back at you, because even if you did give me the sample there is no way that I could be 100% sure that it wouldn't have a detrimental affect on the developing fetus. So just like everything else the best thing to do is abstain completely."

"Yes, I can see your point, but like you said Cordy won't like it at first but she will go through anything to protect our baby." Angel told Dr. Thompson.

"That goes for you also David. Once I clean Marissa up and I give the okay for you two to try to get pregnant you have to abstain from the Vampire special. The first couple of months are very important for the developing fetus. Well I have to get some rest guys. Babies come at all times of the day and night and if I don't get enough sleep when I have the chance I may fall asleep while trying to deliver a baby. I'll see you downstairs Angel." Dr. Thompson got up and left leaving Angel and David together.

When Dr. Thompson left Angel got up and walked over to the balcony. David followed him. They stood just looking at the city lights. David and Marissa's house was in the hills between the Los Angeles basin and the San Fernando valley. The balcony overlooked the Los Angeles basin and on a clear day you could see the Pacific ocean. Most of the time though, especially during the summer, the view was obscured by smog.

"You know David in all the time I've been in Southern California the smog has always covered the valleys. It's not as bad as it was back in the 50's and 60's but it has always been their. Have you ever been at the top of the San Gabriel mountains?" "Yeah, I took Marissa up their for our honeymoon. An associate of mine owns a house up on the mountain by the television towers. I think that was the happiest time of all of my undead life. I wouldn't trade that week for all the tea in China. That's what I think a lot of these days Angel. I ask myself why I was given Marissa after all of the evil things I have done. I don't deserve her. She knows all about me and I've told her all about the things I did before I met her as a little girl and after. I didn't stop killing humans for my meals until after I married her. During the days she is always with me and she hears me talking about and accusing myself of all of the people that I killed. With all that I have told her she still loves me." David started to cry uncontrollably. His body was shaking, he was crying so hard. Angel looked at David. He couldn't help but remember how he felt when he went through the same thing when he first was given his soul back. Except that he didn't have anyone to hold him. Angel wanted to put his arm around David to comfort him, but this is what he wanted for David. He wanted him to suffer just like he had made Cordy suffer. Angel had to admit to himself though that he just couldn't stand seeing him suffer like this no matter what David had done.

"David, listen to me because I am going to say this once and only once." David got control of himself and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. When Angel saw that he had control of himself again he said "David, I forgive you for what you caused to happen to Cordy and I." David fell to his knees and grabbed Angels hand. "Thank you Angel, thank you." Angel turned to leave. When he turned he felt something hit his back. A second later he felt another one. At first he thought they were some kind of bug that was out at night just waiting for him to turn. Then he heard David's body hitting the floor of the balcony he saw an arrow sticking out of his back. It looked like it had missed his heart by just inches. He then felt a burning sensation going through his chest. It seemed to all be happening in slow motion. He heard guard dogs starting to bark as they ran to the fence at the front of the house. Bright lights went on all over. He felt himself falling forward and when his chest hit the floor the sharp burning pain hit again. Angels eyes rolled up to the back of his head and he lost consciousness."

When the alarms went off Marissa jumped up from the couch and they all heard Bobby come running through the door and running up the stairs. They all ran up the stairs also and followed Bobby and Marissa through the bedroom doors. Cordelia screamed when she saw Angel lying on the floor, face down, with two arrow sticking out of his back. She ran to his side and knelt by him. Dr. Thompson and Wesley did the same. Marissa and Bobby was looking around the room for David. Bobby finally went to the balcony to see if he had fallen over the railing. That is when he found him. Dr. Thompson looked over to David as well. He saw the arrow sticking out of David's back. When he realized where it was he yelled at Bobby "Don't touch him." Bobby jumped back at the sound of Dr. Thompson's voice.

"Marissa get me a pair of scissors and hurry." Marissa went to the desk and grabbed a pair of scissors and gave them to Dr. Thompson. "Hold on to them for a second Marissa. Wesley, come and help us pick up David and put him on the bed." Wesley came over to David. "I want us to pick him up so that his body doesn't bend in anyway so Wesley I want you to put your arms under his waist and support his torso so that it doesn't bend. Does everyone understand? His life depends on us keeping him as straight as possible." Both Bobby and Wesley nodded to him. "Okay, on my count, 1,2,3." They lifted him at the same time and took him to the bed. Dr. Thompson took the scissors from Marissa and started cutting a David's clothes up the back. He carefully cut it away from the arrow then went up the rest of the way. They were then able to pull his jacket and the rest off of him. Dr. Thompson turned to Marissa. "Marissa I think the arrow tip is either right by his heart or right behind it. If it moves a fraction of an inch either way it will either cut into the heart or go into it. I don't believe it has gone through to the other side. If I can determine that it is to the side then I have to push it through so that I can take the tip off and then pull it out. According to what Dr. Martin has told me he should stop bleeding and start healing immediately. I just want you to prepare yourself. Do you understand?" "Yes, please do what you can." Dr. Thompson went back to David. "Bobby, get on the other side and support his body as Wesley and I role him to his side so I can check his chest." Bobby went to the other side of the bed and crawled over it very carefully. When he was in position Dr. Thompson and Wesley rolled him over as carefully as possible. He checked the front of his chest. He couldn't see the tip of the arrow so he carefully examined the front with his hand. Then he felt it. It had gone through and was to the lower right side of his heart. "Okay guys I think were okay. Bobby I want you to break off your end of the arrow then push it through so that I can pull it out through the front." Bobby did as he was told. They saw the arrow break through the skin on his chest and Dr. Thompson pulled it out. Wesley looked at the arrow and took it from the doctor and took it over to the light where he could see better. The arrow had barbs on it that pointed toward the tail end of the arrow. He noticed an odd odor coming from the arrow. He couldn't place where he had smelled it before. Then it hit him. The last time he smelled that odor was when Faith had shot Angel with a poisoned arrow. He went over to Bobby. "Bobby did you get scratched by the arrow when you pushed it through?" "No I don't think so. I used my thumb to push it through." Bobby said. "It's a good thing you did it like that. The arrow has poisoned barbs on it pointing to the back of the arrow. If we had pulled it out of his back the poison would have gotten into his system. The barbs are set in, in such a way that the poison would have been released as it was pulled out. If any of the poison did get into his system it should show the effects with in the next 30 minutes." Wesley went over to Angel. Dr. Thompson had gone into the bathroom and grabbed all of the towels. He put one of them under David's chest and let him down then gave a wash cloth to Bobby and told him to hold it on the wound in his back until it stopped bleeding.

Dr. Thompson went over to Angel and Wesley. Angel still hadn't regained consciousness. Wesley turned Angel over. They all saw that the tips of the arrows had gone all of the way through and had then been pushed back in when he fell on his chest. Wesley looked at Cordelia.

"Cordelia do you have Dr. Martins phone number?" "Yes." Cordelia said. "Call her and let me know when you have her on the phone. Dr. Thompson let's get these arrows out of him. Be very careful in how you handle the arrows. We don't know how the poison will affect humans. Marissa we are going to need a place to put Angel when we take them out." Angel started to regain consciousness. They rolled Angel on his side. Dr. Thompson took one of the hand towels and wrapped it around the end and broke it off of each arrow then pushed them both through rapidly. Wesley took the towel from Dr. Thompson and pulled them out of the front of his chest and put them on the table. Angel cried out in pain. Wesley felt his forehead. Angels temperature was already starting to rise. He had broken out in a sweat as the poison started to invade his body. Wesley felt for Angels pulse, he didn't find one which told him that they might have some time since his heart was only sending the poison through his body at a very slow rate.

"Wesley, I have Dr. Martin on the phone." Wesley got up and went to the phone. He was talking to Dr. Martin for at least 15 minutes. Wesley put the phone to the side of his shoulder as he talked to Marissa and Bobby. "I don't suppose David has a helicopter?" "Yes he does, there is one in the back. The pilot lives in the back as well." Bobby said. Wesley put the phone to his ear again. Yes Dr. Martin he has one. Okay I'll let you know how he is doing when we get back." Wesley hung the phone up and looked to Marissa and Bobby. "Marissa, David and Angel have been shot with arrows that have a mystical poison on them. Angel was shot with this same poison about 4 or 5 years ago. The only thing that will save them is the blood of a Slayer. The only Slayer that we have access to is Buffy in Sunnydale. I need for your pilot to take me over to Sunnydale so I can get some of her blood. We need to do this as fast as possible." "Yes do what ever you have to. Bobby would you call John and have him prepare the helicopter as fast as possible and be prepared to fly to Sunnydale. Wesley will tell him where it is." Marissa told Bobby. Bobby left the room and used the phone downstairs. Wesley turned to Dr. Thomson and Cordelia. "Dr. Martin said that she has been able to determine that Angel doesn't have to drink a large quantity of Buffy's blood just about a half a pint should do. She said that Buffy should be okay if she gives 2 pints at once. Then Spike will replace it. She said the problem is that she doesn't know how fast the poison will work since he has been shot with it before. She said you are to treat them just like you would any patient that has ingested poison."

Wesley got back on the phone and called Buffy's house. Fortunately they were at home and he asked to talk to Spike. He told him what was going on and what they needed from Buffy and that they would meet them at the high school parking lot. Okay Spike I am guessing that it will take at least 30 minutes to get their. Okay, goodbye." Wesley put the phone down and went over to Cordelia's side. "How's he doing?" "He's burning up Wesley." Cordelia said with tears in her eyes. It had been awhile since she had eaten so her stomach was starting to make her sick. She got up and ran to the bathroom. Dr. Thompson called to Marissa. "Where can we put him Marissa?" Marissa was concerned for Cordelia. Dr. Thompson saw her looking at the bathroom door. "She'll be alright Marissa. After you show us where we can put Angel would you get Cordelia some crackers and a 7UP." "Angel do you think you can stand?" Wesley asked. "I think so but you better let me sit down and give me something to throw up in because dinner is on it's way up." Both Wesley and Dr. Thompson helped him to stand. They put his arms around their shoulders and followed Marissa as she took them to the bedroom next to the one they were in. They sat him on the bed and Marissa gave him a trash can to use. When he seemed to be done vomiting all of his dinner Wesley took the trash can and gave Angel a glass of water so that he could rinse his mouth out. Angel was in a lot of pain and blood was starting to pour out of the wounds in the front of his chest and the back. The pain was making his heart beat faster which was making the wounds bleed even more. Wesley and Dr. Thompson lifted Angel as Marissa turned the lights on and pulled the quilt down from the bed. They sat Angel down on the bed again and helped him take his shoes and shirt off. Marissa brought some towels over and she put them on the bed. Wesley held Angel up while Dr. Thompson doubled up a hand towel and pressed it against Angels back. As he did this they laid Angel down and he put another towel on his chest. Marissa pulled the sheet up and Dr. Thompson continued to apply pressure to the wounds on Angels chest. "You better go Wesley. He feels like he is getting hotter with each passing minute." "I'll be back as soon as possible." Wesley said. "Why don't you call your butler to get Cordelia some crackers and 7UP. When your done come over here and apply pressure to Angels wounds and I'll go and check on David." When Marissa came back she took over from Dr. Thompson and he went next door to David's bedroom. David was regaining consciousness when he came in.

"How are you feeling David?" "Better. What happened? The last thing I remember was Angel and I were on the balcony and we had started to come back in. Then I felt something hit my back and that was it." David said. Dr. Thompson checked his wound. It was almost completely healed. He felt his forehead. It was cool to the touch.

"Mr. Morgan you and Angel were shot with poisoned arrows. We caught the guy that did it but unfortunately he was a vampire and one of the new guards dusted him. He didn't understand what happened when you put wood through a vampires heart. The guy almost got away when the new guard picked up a large branch that was on the ground and threw it at him. He said he had intended to just hit the guy to knock him down. Unfortunately it had a point to it and went right through the guy. You should have seen the look on the guards face." Bobby said. He had been sitting by David's side all this time.

"Bobby I want you to have them run a more thorough check on the new guard. It's too much of a coincidence that this happened when he arrived." David said.

"I'll take care of it right away." Bobby stepped over to the drapes and closed the doors and drapes real good. He then went to the phone and called the head guy for the guards and told him what David wanted.

"How is Angel? Did he get hit also?" David asked. "Yes David. He got hit twice and wasn't as lucky as you. The arrows had barbs on them that if they went backwards the barbs would cut the flesh even more, but the worst thing was that the barbs had a mystical poison on them. When Angel was shot with the arrows they went all the way through and the points came out partway. When Angel fell forward and landed on his chest the arrows were pushed back in which made the poison go into his system. Right now he is a very sick vampire.

"Is their a cure for the poison?" Bobby asked. "Yes, it's the blood of a slayer, according to Wesley. He took your helicopter to Sunnydale. He had called Dr. Martin and she said that they couldn't duplicate chemicals in Buffy's blood but she did determine that the cure would only require about half of a pint of Buffy's blood." Dr. Thompson looked at his watch. "They should be back in about 45 minutes. We just have to watch him and try to keep his body from getting to hot. Bobby can you see if can get 3 or 4 bags of ice?" "I can do better then that Doc, there is a ice machine in the kitchen." "Good, I need a bowl of ice with some water in Angels room." "Sure thing Doc, I'll be back in a few minutes." Bobby said as he ran out the door.

"Will you be alright David? You won't try anything stupid like getting up?" Dr. Thompson asked. "No Doc, I'll be good and stay right here. Go and take care of Angel." Dr. Thompson got up and went over into Angels room. "How's he doing Cordelia?" "He's hot Dr. Thompson. The last time he was sick like this he started to have a seizure." "Okay Cordelia I am going to run down to my car and get my medical bag. I'll be right back." He felt Angels forehead. He was hot, very hot. Dr. Thompson ran downstairs and grabbed his medical bag. He saw 2 big guards in the front. "I may need you 2 in a few minutes. Call your boss and tell him to get replacements for you then come upstairs to the room next to Mr. Morgans bedroom." He then ran back in and back to Angel. He opened up his bag and took out some antibiotics and a syringe. He emptied all of the contents of the bottle into the syringe. "Angel can you hear me?" Dr. Thompson asked Angel. He knew he was conscious. "If you can hear me I want you to roll over onto your side so that I can give you some antibiotics." He waited to see if Angel would respond. Angel slowly rolled over to his left. Dr. Thompson pulled his shorts down a little and gave him the syringe. He helped Angel to lay back again and took his temperature. Angels temperature was up to 107.5. Bobby came in with a large bowl of ice just as he finished with Angel. Cordelia was stuffing crackers in her mouth and drinking the 7UP while Dr. Thompson sat next to Angel. He dipped a large towel in the bowl and rang it out but left a small amount of water still in the towel so that it would stay cold longer. He then took a hand towel and put it on the left side of Angels neck and put ice in it. He was hoping to keep the blood, that went into his brain, cooler so that he wouldn't start to have a seizure. "Cordelia please call Wesley's cell phone and ask him when he thinks he'll get here?" Cordelia made the call using the phone that was by the bed on the other side. "He said he'll be here in 15 minutes." she told Dr. Thompson. "Good, because I don't think this is working." He took Angels temperature again. It was still at 107.5. "Well at least it hasn't gone up anymore. Bobby go and find out where those 2 guards are that were in the front. I asked them to come up here as soon as they got replacements?" Bobby called down to the Captain of the guards. Cordelia get Marissa I think she's with David." Cordelia came back with Marissa in less than a minute. "Did you need something Dr. Thompson?" "Yes Marissa, I need to know if you have a hot tub up here or outside that is big enough for no more than two people? Yes we have one outside in the cabana that is by the pool." "Good. I want you to get as much ice as possible and dump it in there. We are expecting Wesley to get here with the blood in a little less than 15 minutes, but Angels temperature is at 107.5. He could have a seizure at any moment and that could damage his brain." "Okay Dr. Thompson I understand I'll get that going as soon as possible. I'll let you know as soon as it's ready." "Thanks Marissa." Dr. Thompson took the towel off of Angel, it felt hot. He dipped it into the ice again and put it back over his body. He checked the towel by his neck and put some more ice in it. He took Angels temperature again. He knew what the answer would be because Angels hands started shaking. He ran to the balcony. Bobby where are those guards I need them now. In answer he heard heavy foot steps coming through the house. He ran back to Angel and wrapped a couple of tongue depressors with tape and put it in his mouth. Bobby and the guards came in and helped to hold him down. Dr. Thompson told the guards to pick Angel up and take him downstairs to the cabana. They had a hard time holding onto him but the biggest guard picked him up in his arms and took him down to the cabana. Cordelia followed them along with Dr. Thompson and Bobby. When they got to the cabana they found Marissa already had the tub filled with water and almost filled with ice. Dr. Thompson directed the guard to place Angel in the tub. He instructed the guard to hold onto Angels head and let it go part way into the water. Wesley came into the cabana. "Here is the blood." "How are we supposed to give it to him. By mouth or into his arm." Dr. Thompson asked. "He drank it from Buffy last time so I really don't know if he can take it through his arm."

Wesley said. "Well I think we should give it to him to drink since that's the way he took it last time." Angel started to slow down his shaking so Dr. Thompson took his temperature again. It had gone down to 105 degrees. "You say that it works right away right?" "That's what they tell me." Wesley said. "Okay lets get him out of there before we give it to him." The guard that had picked him up before picked him up again and laid him on the lounge chair. Wesley put a hole in the bag of blood and poured the contents into a tall glass.

"Angel, wake up now you need to drink this. It will make you feel better. It will get rid of the poison that is in your system." Wesley lightly slapped Angels face. Angel started to open his eyes. He looked at Wesley. "Buffy's blood?" "Yes, Spike took two pints of her blood then gave 2 pints of blood back to her. She was just fine when I left. She wanted me to give you a message. She said 'You tell Daddy that if he wastes any of it or refuses to drink it I am coming to make his life more miserable then it already is.'" Angel smiled then took the blood when Wesley put the glass to his lips. As soon as he finished the whole glass he started to feel better and stronger. The guard had been standing by all of the time. Angel looked at him. "Would you get me something to put on please?" The guard went over to the closet which held about 10 bathrobes and brought one that he thought would fit Angel. He took the robe and tried to get up but was still took weak from the fever to get up on his own. Wesley took the robe and the guard helped Angel to stand while Wesley helped him put the robe on.

"How is David and does anyone know what happened?" Angel asked Wesley.

"He's okay. He got hit with only one arrow. The arrows had barbs on them so that if they stayed in the body and went backwards for any reason like being pulled out by the tail they would cut into the flesh more and a poison would be released into the system. Fortunately for David when the arrow went through his back it was a fraction of an inch from his heart but hit his sternum and was blocked from going all of the way through. Dr. Thompson determined that the arrow could be moved over and around the sternum and then pushed through all of the way. Bobby broke the tail off and pushed them through then Dr. Thompson pulled it out from the front of David's chest. You where hit with two arrows and they went all of the way through and was sticking out of the front of your chest. When you fell forward the arrows were pushed back in and you got all of the poison that was on the barbs."

"Did they find out who did it?" Angel asked Wesley. "From what Bobby told us, the new guard didn't know too much about vampires and when he came across the perpetrator he threw a branch that had fallen from the tree and unfortunately it had a jagged point to the end and it hit the perpetrator right through the heart. So we have no idea why he did it or who he was. David told Bobby to check the new guards background more thoroughly. He said it was too much of a coincidence that this happened just as they have a new guard and for him not to know anything about vampires on property that is loaded with them. So now you know all that I know about what has happened. I think we had better get you home Angel. From what I was told you came out of this a lot faster when you were first shot with the poison, but you appear to still be awfully weak. Here why don't you take more of Buffy's blood. The quantity might have something to do with how fast you recover." Wesley poured the rest of the one bag he already had opened into the glass he had used for him then he opened the other bag and filled the glass to the top. He gave the glass to Angel but he was still weak so Wesley held it for him while he drank the contents down to the last drop. When he was done Angel tried to stand on his own but he couldn't make it. He looked at the big guard. "Can you take me to my car? I don't think I can make it on my own." "Sure thing Mr. Martin." The big guard helped Angel to stand up and then put his arm around his neck. He practically carried Angel to the car in the front and placed him in the back seat. Cordelia got in first and Angel laid down and put his head in her lap.

"Marissa I'll call to let you know how Angel is and to ask how David is doing." Cordelia said. Dr. Thompson came out of the house with his bag and went to Marissa. "I just checked on David Marissa while I was up there. He is sleeping now and as far as I can see it's just normal sleep. He is cold to the touch, I have been told that, that is normal for him, so just keep an eye on him. I think he will be fine though. You have my home phone number so don't hesitate to call me if something should happen, okay?" "Okay Dr. Thompson, and thank you for coming. Goodnight everyone." Marissa went back in and Dr. Thompson went to his car. Fred drove Angels car since Cordelia was in the back with him. As they all drove away Wesley was in front. Fred followed Wesley and Dr. Thompson followed Fred. When they arrived at the bottom of the hill Dr. Thompson pulled out of the little caravan and pulled ahead as he turned towards his own home.

By the time they arrived at the Hotel Angel was able to sit up on his own. He drank the rest of the bag of blood and started to feel stronger. He looked at Cordelia. He could see and feel her starting to get sick. Angel reached over in the front seat and found the bag of crackers. He opened them and gave it to her. Cordelia put one of the crackers in her mouth right away. She thanked God that the crackers were still there. She didn't want Angel to be throwing up all of the blood and get sick again. Angel pulled out his cell phone and called Wesley on his. "Wesley we need to stop and buy some saltine crackers for Cordy." "Okay Angel I will pull into the first market I see open." They both hung up and Angel pulled Cordy over to him. Fred followed Wesley into a Wal-Mart supercenter parking lot. Wesley ran in and came out a few minutes later with 4 boxes of crackers. He put them in Angels car. "I think you have enough now to last you a few days until we get to Sunnydale and Willow can help you two." Wesley said. "Thanks Wesley." Cordelia and Angel said. Wesley got back into his SUV and they headed for the Hotel. They pulled into the back of the hotel and Fred pulled in beside Wesley. Wesley jumped out and ran over to Angels car. Angel had already gotten out of the car and was helping Cordelia out. "Oh good, I was afraid I would have to help you to the hotel. It seems all you needed was a little time." "Yeah, plus I drank the rest of Buffy's blood. Apparently quantity does play a big part in how fast the slayers blood destroys the poison." Angel said. They all went back into the hotel and went directly to bed. Wesley knew he was still in the hot seat when Fred went to her own room. Wesley went into his own room and closed the door. He took a shower then went to bed. He laid there for an hour just thinking about what he had said to Fred. He got up then and put his robe on and went to Fred's door. He knocked on the door lightly and called her name. "Fred can I come in?" He didn't get any answer so he opened the door a little to see if she was in bed. To his surprise she wasn't there. He heard Angels door open. "Wesley, Fred and Cordy are downstairs. I think Fred is telling Cordy about your argument at Dr. Thompson's office. Come in here." Wesley went over to Angels bedroom and he opened up a couple of beers for them. They sat at the table and Wesley started to tell Angel what happened. When he finished Angel leaned back in his chair and told Wesley "You remember what I said when I was telling everyone about what happened when I was having a lot of arguments with Cordelia and I had to talk to Spike before I realized that I had become a Master Vampire." "Yes." Wesley said. "Do you also remember what I said I did when I got off of the phone with Spike?" "Yes, you said you did what any red blooded American would do, you tucked your tail between your legs and went up and apologized to her." Wesley said as he laid his head on the table. "It doesn't make any difference whether you think you are right or wrong Wesley you just have to do it or you are going to be stopped while you are at the starting gate. Remember that we have to get our families started so that means you have to do whatever it takes. So my dear friend learn to tuck that tail in and take a deep breath and tell yourself that you are doing it because you love Fred. If I can go through hell to be with Cordy then you can at least give in to Fred and admit you were wrong. Which to tell you the truth I think you are." Wesley got up and walked to the door with his head hanging. He went downstairs and saw Cordelia and Fred sitting at the dinning room table. He approached the dinning room and just stood there. Cordelia saw Wesley. She put her hand on Fred's and then looked at Wesley. Fred jumped up and ran to Wesley. "I'm sorry Wesley I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. You were right. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Wesley started to apologize to. "I'm sorry Fred, you were right. I don't know what was going through my mind. I think I just got scared and I was being selfish. I just got you all to myself and I didn't want to share you with anyone yet. Not even our own baby." Cordelia quietly went upstairs and left them alone.

Cordelia went and opened the door quietly. She thought Angel would be asleep but he was still awake. He had the television on and was watching the weather channel so that he could see what the weather was going to be like tomorrow night. Cordelia went into the bathroom and closed the door. When she came out again she went over to her side of the bed and took her robe off and crawled into bed beside Angel. She grabbed one of the crackers that Angel had started putting on the night stand on her side of the bed. "Mission accomplished Angel. The healing process has begun and all is well. Let's go to sleep. I am beat." Angel turned the TV off and pushed his body down further on the bed so that he could put his arm around her.

"Cordy." "Yes." "I told David that I forgave him for all that he caused to happen to us. I did that just before the arrows hit us. He was crying so hard that I could see how bad he felt for what he did." Cordelia didn't say anything for awhile. "I am sorry Angel but it is going to take me a little while longer before I can do the same thing. Do you understand why?" "Yes Cordy, I understand. The rape happened to you. You are the one that actually carried our baby inside of you and you felt them kill him. Are you angry at me for telling him that I forgave him?" "No Angel I'm not. You are just a better person then I am. You have a forgiving heart. It's one of the reasons why I love you so much. When I say our Rosary tomorrow I'll ask God to help me to forgive him. Goodnight." She turned over so that she was looking at him and gave him a kiss goodnight. Then she put her head in the cradle of his arm and went to sleep, it had been a long day and she was dead tired.

The next day Cordelia got up early and took Angels car keys. She left him a note.

I am going to see Father Barris today.

I will let you know when I am leaving him and

heading home. Love Cordy.

Angel got up and took a shower. It was 12 noon when he woke up. He took a shower then went downstairs. Fred was at the counter.

"Where is everyone Fred?" "Wesley, Gunn and Connor went clothes shopping. They asked me to tell you that they will all be going with you to Sunnydale. I'll be going also." "Good, I'll call Buffy and let her know that we are all coming and I need for her to get everything ready. Do you think I should have a Television put in?" He asked Fred. "Ohh yes. The kids will be lost without their games to play with. You better put either satellite or cable in. Satellite will probably be faster. I can take care of all of it if you want?" "Yeah, tell them I'll give them a bonus if they can get it all in by 9 tonight. I think the guys will have more fun if we go shopping for it. I want one of those big screen TVs. Check to see if we can use one of those flat screens in the mansion and get a separate 36 inch TV so we can play the games on. Buffy will take care of everything else. Once you get it all set up let Buffy know that someone will have to be their for the deliveries." Angel stopped and looked at her. "I trust you Fred, I know this is a big order so if you need help ask Cordy. A person that can arrange a wedding in less than 3 days has to know some tricks as to how to get things done. Just remember that money is no object. Now if everything that the boys want isn't there I will just tell them 'Fred was supposed to take care of it, talk to her.'" "I won't let you down Angel." Fred was excited. She took her Sears catalog out and checked to see if their was one in Sunnydale and if they could have everything she wanted delivered by 9 tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

THE GIFT

Chapter 2

Angel had called Buffy to let her know they were all coming to Sunnydale tonight. Angel, Cordelia, Gunn, and Cordelia's crackers were in Angel's car. Fred, Wesley, and Connor were in Wesley's SUV. The nights were starting to get warmer so they had the top down on Angel's car. Gunn and Cordelia were enjoying the night air and watching the stars once they got out of Los Angeles.

Fred was happy that she had managed to get everything done that Angel had requested. She had received call backs from a Personal Manager that Sears had recommended to her. Her Personal Managers name was Bonnie and Fred told her about everything that she wanted. Bonnie said that it wouldn't be any problem but that it would cost quiet a bit to get all of this done by 9 that night. Fred gave her Buffy's phone number and told Bonnie that their would be a Bonus in it for her if she could make sure that everything was done on time and that above all the customers name was to be held in strict confidence.

Cordelia had been sleeping for awhile. She woke up just before they arrived at the outskirts to Sunnydale. "Angel pull over please." Angel was on a section of I-5 that was fenced in and he had to look for an opening. He started feeling sick also and fortunately he came to an opening where you could pull over in an emergency. As soon as he stopped Cordelia opened the door and leaned over while still sitting in the car. Angel got out and went to the front of the car. Wesley saw them pulling over and drove past them and pulled over. He didn't think anyone would want to see them throwing up. He waited for awhile. He could see Angel still leaning against the car. Cordelia had already closed the door and had a wash cloth over her face. Angel finally climbed back into the car. "Cordelia we have to do something about this, I can't continue doing this." "I know Angel, I know. Angelus must be having a field day. Is he laughing at you?" "Yeah, but not as much as you would think because he is suffering just as much since he feels what I feel." Angel started up the car and pulled out into traffic. Wesley did the same. Cordelia called Buffy to let her know that they were almost there. "Everything is ready for you guys, we started the refrigerator this morning and when Spike and I get through patrolling we'll bring some supplies over that have to be kept cold." "Thanks Buffy, is Willow their with you?" "Yeah she's standing right here do you want to talk to her?" "Yes Buffy please put her on." Cordelia was getting tired of eating crackers and she was getting tired of throwing up all of the time. Basically she was just tired. "Cordelia this is Willow. Buffy said you wanted to talk to me." "Yes Willow, do you have anything for a poor pregnant woman and a Vampire that are suffering from morning sickness." "Your pregnant?" Willow was so excited. Cordelia could hear her telling everyone that she was pregnant. "Okay so you need something for the morning sickness, uh I'll have to call someone about that Cordelia. I don't know too much about those herbs so I am going to talk to someone in my Wicken group that is a midwife. I should have something for you by tomorrow morning. I'll see you guys later. Buffy wants to talk to you again. Here she is." "Cordelia, Willow said your pregnant. How far along are you?" "I figure it was when you guys where here and just before you left." "Well congratulations." "Buffy tell Spike that what he told Angel might happen is happening. He bought me a whole bunch of boxes of crackers so that I wouldn't be getting sick so often. Here I am gaining weight because of all of the crackers I'm eating and he's losing weight because he isn't able to keep very much down and I don't want to take any drugs to stop the morning sickness. I sure hope that Willow can help us because I am getting real tired of being sick all of the time." "I'm sure she can Cordelia. Tell Angel that we had everything turned on and the refrigerator is stocked with everything that you guys usually need. Most of the stuff that Fred wanted installed is here and set up. That woman she hired is pretty good. The mansion has been cleaned and wood is in the fireplace all ready for you to start it up. New bedding is on all of the beds and the bathrooms have been cleaned and stocked. There is only one thing we couldn't get done though and that was the water. So no showers tonight. They promised that it would be turned on early tomorrow morning though. We put several gallons of water into containers in each bathroom so that you could at least use the toilets. Why don't you guys come over here for dinner since you don't have any water yet." Cordelia put the phone to her shoulder and turned to Angel. "Buffy said they couldn't get the water turned on at the mansion until tomorrow so she invited us over to her house for dinner. What shall I tell her?" "Tell her we'll be there in about 20 minutes." "He said okay Buffy, so we'll be there in 20 minutes. Okay, see you. Bye."

"Call Wesley and let him know where we are going." Angel told Cordelia. She called Wesley and let him know the temporary change in destination. When she was done she looked at Angel. "Are you going to be able to take all of Spikes teasing in your condition?" Yeah but if both Gunn and Spike gang up on me at the same time I just may snap." "Would you like me to take care of Gunn for you so that he won't pick on you?" "Yeah, would you?" Angel said. He could hear Gunn laughing in the back seat.

"Gunn." Cordelia waited for him to answer. "Yes Cordelia." "I strongly advise you to stop picking on Angel about him getting sick every time that I get sick. You know how I can get when I get mad. Besides which I usually do all of the cooking. That is all that I think I need to say for now and if your as intelligent as I think you are you will take our little talk to heart." Cordelia looked at Angel. He was smiling. He mouthed the words 'Thank You.'

From the back of the car you could hear Gunn moving around. He was getting board now that he couldn't pick on Angel anymore. Then he was quiet for awhile. "Uh Angel, I apologize for teasing you. I know that this is hard on you. I'll try to keep it down to a minimum. But you have to let me do it some time Angel or else I'll be out of practice when the baby is finally born, and that won't be any fun."

Angel pulled the car off of I-5 and down into the main street of Sunnydale. Buffy's house was at the other end of town so they had a few more minutes to go. He thought about Gunn's apology. At least that was what it sounded like. "Okay Gunn apology accepted and I'll allow you to pick on me once each day. So if I were you I would choose your window of opportunity carefully because if you do it more than once each day I am going to let Cordy fix your wagon one morning." "Thanks Angel you are really too kind." He covered his face with his jacket as he tried to muffle his laughing. Angel and Cordelia could hear him though.

They pulled up to Buffy's house and everyone exited the cars and walked up to the front porch. Angel rang the doorbell. After a few minutes they heard someone running and yelling "I'll get it." Dawn opened the door and sceamed in surprise. "They're here Buffy. Come in guys." Dawn gave Angel and Cordelia a hug. "Congratulations Mommy and Daddy." She asked them to come in and than took them to the kitchen where Buffy, Giles, Willow and Tara were busy preparing the dinner. Spike was no where to be seen. Buffy came over to Cordelia and Angel. "Congratulations you two." Buffy said. "Where's Spike?" Cordelia asked.

"I was able to contact my Wicken friend that is a midwife and she said that she has a tea that she can make for you that will stop the morning sickness. She is making up enough to last you several months so Spike went to get it. He should be back in a few minutes." Willow said. "Thank you Willow. I was getting so tired from being sick all of the time and poor Angel is getting sick right along with me."

"So what have you guys been doing since we left L.A.? Besides getting pregnant that is."

Buffy asked.

"Not very much. Things have been kind of quiet since you guys left. The excitement that we had the other night was pretty much it. I've only had a few visions so it's been, like I said, quiet.

Except for all of the fun Gunn has been having at Angels expense." Cordelia told them while giving Gunn a dirty look. "Every time I have morning sickness he gets it also. Now it would be very funny to watch if he didn't get so sick. It's what we women have always wanted to see, the men go through the same thing we do. The problem is that it is hitting Angel harder than it is me." Cordelia went to Angel and put her arm around his waist.

"Do you mean to tell me that every time Cordelia gets sick you also get sick at the same time?" Giles asked. "Yes, I get sick right after she does. Within 5 minutes or so I am running to the bathroom also. I didn't think I would ever have to do that again." Angel told Giles.

"Well lets feed these two before we get a demonstration. Every one pick up something and lets go eat." Buffy said as she took a large bowl of spaghetti into the dining room. Every one picked up something and Angel grabbed a large glass and took some blood from the refrigerator. He didn't bother to warm it up since his stomach was hurting and it felt better when he drank it cold.

Buffy had made spaghetti and meatballs, a large bowl of salad and french bread. Tea was served to every one. Just as they all sat down to eat Spike came in with a large paper bag for Willow. He hung up his coat and greeted everyone then went into the kitchen to wash up. He grabbed a container of blood from the refrigerator and warmed it up while adding some red chili powder and tabasco sauce. When he returned he took a seat at one end of the table while Angel was at the other end. Buffy served him some spaghetti and salad. He noticed that Angel was looking more pale then usual and his head was hanging down a little as though he was tired.

"Your not looking to good Angel. What's the matter?" Spike asked. He looked at Gunn for a remark. He knew Gunn just loved to tease Angel. "Don't look at me man. I have been told by Mrs. Martin here that I am allowed only one chance each day to tease Angel about his condition. So I can't say anything more today or else she is going to make life hard on me." "Well we will have to give your once a day chance to tease him a lot of thought. That is if you want my help." "I sure do. After all you have a lot more experience with him than I do." Gunn said.

"Cordy he's doing it again." Angel said. He closed his eyes and concentrated and was able to produce one blood red tear.

Cordelia saw the tear and immediately her heart melted. "Gunn you have now used up your one chance for tomorrow." "But Cordelia I wasn't teasing Angel, I was just answering Spike." Gunn said in his defense. Cordelia didn't give it anymore of her time. She just grabbed her napkin and wiped away Angels tear.

"Thank you my sweet for taking care of that big bad man. Now eat so that both of our dinners will stay down." Angel gave her hand a kiss then let it go so that she could eat her dinner.

Everyone was watching the little 'Comedy of Sorrows' play that was taking place before them. "And I thought you were good at getting me to do what you want. You're an amateur compared to Angel." Buffy told Spike. Angel was laughing down at the other end of the table.

"So how have you been getting by Angel? Wesley tells me that your not doing to good, he said your unable to keep anything down." Giles asked Angel.

"Yeah, I've been feeding Cordelia so many crackers that I swear she won't want to see another cracker for the rest of her life after this baby is born. Because every time she gets sick I get sick and I am left weak while Cordy is up and eating crackers again in just a few minutes. Men I can tell you that you are better off not knowing what it is like. If it wasn't for the fact that I am a Vampire I don't think I would survive this experience. I can say with all honesty men that in this respect women are far stronger then we are."

"I've been meaning to ask you something Angel. I know that you and Spike share a bond that you can communicate through. Have you been able to create a bond with Cordelia and do you think Spike can do that with Buffy?" Giles asked.

"I don't know about Spike, but I did create a bond between Cordelia and I on our wedding night. I told her about the link and she has been working on using it ever since. Spike do you have the same thing with Buffy?" Angel asked Spike. "I haven't tried strengthening the link or teaching her to access it. She knows that it's there but she doesn't know how to access it or use it." Spike said. "Give me your hands Buffy. Lets try the link between us." Spike took her hands in his as they both turned to each other. "Buffy look at me and concentrate on the link." Buffy cleared her mind and concentrated on Spike. She heard his voice in her mind but it was as if he was calling to her from a long, long distance from her. "I can hear you but its like your a long ways away and I know your there but I can't understand what your saying." Buffy said as she kept her eyes closed. "Try calling to me Buffy." Spike said. She tried calling Spike through the link but was unsuccessful.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you're a Slayer. Your powers are directed towards only your Slayer capabilities." Giles said.

"That may be it. We may have to except what we have now. Maybe as time goes by the link will become stronger." Spike said.

Willow came over to Cordelia with a cup of hot tea. "Here we are Cordelia. I read the instructions that Joann included with the tea. You are to drink this after each meal. She included a little measuring spoon so that you wouldn't have to guess at the amount of tea to put into the cup. This will keep you from being sick. If for some reason you should feel sick even though you drank the tea after your last meal then you are to change the timing of the tea to every 5 hours. You shouldn't have any problem with this. This is an ancient herbal tea that has been used by women for thousands of years so you shouldn't have any side affects."

"Thanks Willow. I sure hope this works." Cordelia sipped at the tea. "Mmmm, it tastes good."

Angels cell phone rang and he stepped over into the kitchen to answer it. About 15 minutes later he came back to join the group.

"Cordelia that was Dr. Martin calling. She said that Sr. Margaret was very sick and she may not last much longer. She wants to meet me so I have to go. Do you want to go with me?" "Of course. Now that I have the tea I should be fine." "Willow could you get on the computer and see if you can get us 3 first class tickets to Manchester New Hampsire for tomorrow night?" Angel asked Willow. "Sure Angel no problem."

"You want to come with us don't you Connor?" "Yeah, I've never been on a plane before."

Connor said. "Good, Cordelia can you take him shopping tomorrow and get him a suit, tie, and a hair cut. I want the Sisters to see him at his best. You brought my suit didn't you?" Angel asked Cordelia. "Sure did. Im going to have to get something decent though. My clothes are a little tight with all of those crackers so I am going to have to get something also. You want to come with us Dawn?" Dawn almost jumped out of her chair with excitement. She loved going shopping with Cordelia. She had the best taste in clothes. She had heard that the only one that was better was Angel which was almost unheard of for a man.

"When do you want to head out?" Dawn asked Cordelia. Connor noticed that he wasn't being asked what he thought about this. He motioned for Angel to come over to the living room.

"Aren't I going to get a say in this at all?" Connor asked Angel. Angel put his arm around Connor and pulled him out to the front porch. Angel walked down to the steps and sat down. Connor came down to the steps and sat down also. "Connor, Cordelia and I have set this up. We have just set up a date for you to get to know Dawn. Right now Cordelia is keeping Spikes mind busy with a conversation so that he can't listen in on our conversation. I especially don't want him to know what I just said. So use your time wisely. Listen to Cordelia. She will help you as to how to act around Dawn. Also, no matter what you and Dawn think, you will get the clothes that Cordelia chooses for you. I want us to look our best when we go to see the Sisters. No ifs ands or buts about it. Understood?" "I understand Angel and thank you. When did you two get the chance to talk about this, after all you just found out that you had to go to see grandma?" "This link comes in very handy at times like these." They both got up then and went back in. Before they opened the door Angel put his arm around Connors shoulder again and said "Be very careful about what you say around Spike, he is very protective of Dawn."

They came back in just as Willow made the final arrangements on line for their flight. "Okay Angel and Cordelia I was able to get you a flight out of here and over to L.A. International at

6 P.M. tomorrow night. Your going to have to hit the ground running for your next flight because your flight out of L.A. is at 7. That flight will take you directly to Boston. I've arranged for you to be picked up by one of those little golf carts and take you over to a local airline that will take you to Manchester. Do you know if someone can pick you up or do you want a rental car?" Willow asked. "Let's get a rental. Let me come with you so I can take a look at what they have." Angel said as he went with Willow to see what was available. He also wanted to get a map to the Hospital.

After about 20 minutes Angel and Willow came back. "Are you guys ready to go?" Angel asked the AI group. Everyone got up but Cordelia, she was already asleep. Angel looked at Willow. "Do you know if that tea makes her sleepy?" "No it shouldn't. She's probably just tired. She told me that she was sick just before you guys got into town." Cordelia was holding onto the bag of Tea so Angel just picked her up in his arms. "Yeah, she is a very tired little mama. Im sure that she'll be fine tomorrow though. Thanks for all that you guys have done. Well see you tomorrow."

Wesley opened the door for Angel and Angel put Cordelia in the back seat of his car. He covered her in a blanket that he kept in the trunk. The men and Fred got into the vehicles and they left for the mansion. Angel pulled up first and opened the double gates. Cordelia had hired a gardener to keep up the grounds. Angel had to admit that it was looking pretty good. At least better than he ever did. When he had lived here he didn't ever care about what it looked like on the outside. Angel tended to like having the inside clean and neat but didn't care about the outside. Cordelia changed all that. The gardens at the hotel would still be overgrown with weeds if it had been left up to him but Cordelia had insisted that the outside be kept up as well. She had dug up all of the weeds and planted the garden all by herself and she maintained it after she planted it also. He would often see her watering the garden in the evening and he noticed that when she was depressed she would often go out and pull weeds and cut the dead flowers off. She would always feel a lot better after that. Now days she would always make sure that they had fresh roses on the table in the bedroom suite.

Angel gave the keys to the front doors to Wesley while he picked up Cordelia. "Buffy told me she had extra keys made up for everyone for both the front gate and the doors." Wesley opened the doors and Angel took Cordelia into their bedroom. The master suite was downstairs and the rest of the bedrooms were upstairs. Angel put Cordelia on the bed and went out into the living room.

"You guys can take whatever bedroom you want upstairs. Buffy said that they promised to have the water turned on first thing in the morning otherwise you have everything else that you need. Goodnight everyone." Everyone said goodnight and they all went to bed. Angel went around and checked all of the doors and made sure they were locked then went back to the bedroom. Cordelia was still asleep so he took her clothes off and put her under the covers then took his own clothes off and climbed in after her. He was exhausted also so he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

At 10 A.M. the next morning Cordelia was up. The water had been turned on so she took a shower. She wrapped a towel around her body and one around her hair when she got out of the shower. She went over to the bed and sat on the edge next to Angel. Cordelia ran her fingernail around his nose and eyes real lightly. Angel tried to brush away whatever was bothering him. She ran her fingernail backwards on his eyebrows. He finally woke up and looked at her.

"Go and get me your brush and hair dryer and let me brush your hair dry." Cordelia got up and did as Angel said. When she came back she had left the towels behind and gave Angel the hair dryer and brush while she plugged it in the outlet behind the night stand. "Sit all of the way back against the wall." Cordelia told him. Angel pulled the pillow out from his back and backed up to the wall. Cordelia lifted the covers and sat between his legs then pulled the covers up around them. She had to cover them because the master bedroom didn't have a door just a heavy curtain. When he bought the place he never, in his wildest dreams ever thought he would have a group of people staying here with him, let alone a wife. He laughed at his own thoughts. "What are you laughing at?" Cordelia asked. "I was just thinking that I have to get Xander to put a door on our bedroom. When I bought this place I never even dreamt that I would need a door to my bedroom. Even when you and I where here that summer after our first office was blown up and I was crippled for awhile." Angel said as he started to blow dry her hair.

"Have you heard anything about Hunter? Did you ask Buffy if she is still living here?" Cordelia asked Angel. "No and I would like to have a long talk with her. I want to tell her that if she could find someone to love her and for her to love him like I have then life would once again be worth living. I wish she could meet Dr. Martin. Mom has a way of getting you to talk about your deepest thoughts. Hunter would benefit a lot from a few sessions with her." "While I am out shopping why don't you call her and see if she could go with us." "I'll be lucky if she'll just talk to me let alone go to New Hampshire." "Well you'll never know unless you try. We never would have been able to come to know each other if I had just let you refuse to talk to me about yourself."

"How do you want your hair? Down straight or up in a pony tail or in a bun?" Angel asked. "Are you sure you know how to style a woman's hair?" "Sure, I used to do Darla's hair all of the time. Not being able to see your own reflection makes it real hard on a woman when she has to do her own hair and makeup. I learned to do Darla's hair after she turned me. Then when I turned Drusilla the 2 of them would do each others makeup and hair." "Put it up in a pony tail for now." Cordelia said, she got up when he was done and checked her hair out in the mirror in the bathroom that she had Xander install when they were here for the summer. She came back and gave Angel a kiss. "You sir are a man of many talents. I've got to get going now. Angel stayed in bed while Cordelia got dressed. He was watching her when it dawned on him that she hadn't been sick this morning.

"Don't forget to have something to eat and drink some of your tea. Apparently it works." Angel yelled at her as she went through the curtains. Cordelia went to the stairs. "Connor let's get going." When she heard his voice behind her she almost jumped out of her skin. "Im over here Cordelia." Connor was at the table having some scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.

"Connor you scared me. Is their any more scrambled eggs?" "Yeah, Fred has made a whole bunch." Cordelia went to the kitchen and found some more scrambled eggs and toast in the oven. She made a plate for herself and poured herself a glass of milk. After eating she made a cup of tea just like Willow had told her to do. She put it in a travel mug so she could take it with her then told Connor 'Lets go.' Cordelia went to the bedroom to get her purse and the keys to Angels car. She walked out of the room as quietly as possible. When she got to the front door with Connor she said 'I have got to get my own car. I always worry about getting a scratch on his precious car. You know sometimes I think he cares more about that car than me.'

They got into the car and Cordelia drove carefully out of the front gates. As soon as Connor got in she stepped on the gas and practically made the tires smoke. "I hope he didn't hear that or else he just may stake you when we get back." Connor said. Cordelia smiled a wicked grin. She had done it on purpose.

"Angel got up and took a shower. It was 1 P.M. by the time he went to the kitchen. His stomach was still sore from throwing up the night before so he had a glass of cold blood. Gunn and Wesley were playing games on the new TV. He walked around the mansion checking everything out. It looked nice. He could see that Xander had made some repairs around the mansion. He went out to the covered patio in the back. It was nice to see flowers growing around the back. The roses were all in bloom. He was thinking of the roses his mother used to grow. Angel hadn't seen Ireland since a year after Darla had turned him. He wanted to show Cordelia and Connor where he was born over 250 years ago. Standing there and thinking about Ireland he was getting homesick. In all the years since he was turned he never once thought about his homeland like he was now. All of a sudden he had a burning desire to see his homeland again. He went back in before his thoughts took him any further into the past.

Cordelia and Connor came through the door loaded with packages. Cordelia called out to Angel as she put the packages down on the couch. "Angel come and see your son. He's positively handsome now. Even Dawn was awe struck." Angel came over to stand by his wife. He looked at Connor then walked slowly around him and came back to stand by Cordelia again. "He's perfect Cordy, you did a real good job. I hope Spike didn't catch on as to what was going on did he?" "No, Buffy and Spike were spending some time at his old digs." "Good, we better get packed so we can start for the airport." Angel said. Connor just stood there looking at Angel looking him over. He was feeling like the 'Cock of the Walk' and Angel just gave him an okay. Gunn was watching Connor. He saw the look on his face and thought he would go over and encourage Connor to fluff his feathers a little.

"Wow look at you. Hey Fred and Wesley, come down here, we have a new rooster on the premises." Gunn yelled upstairs. Fred and Wesley came down stairs within a few minutes. Fred stopped for a second. She thought for a second that their was a stranger in the mansion, but when she got a second look she realized it was Connor.

"My, my you are gorgeous when you have a proper hair cut and nice clothes on. Who would have known that their was such a beautiful young man under there. Angel your going to have to get him something to beat the girls off with when they get a look at him." Fred said as she walked around him.

"Of course he's beautiful. Angel is his father." Cordelia said. "Well I must have gotten something from my mother." Connor said. "Yeah you could have been taller but your mothers height brought you down a few inches. To tell you the truth though my mother was shorter than me so I guess nature compromised and gave you your mother and grandmothers height." Angel said. Then he went up to Connor and put his arm around his neck. "But your looks and brains all came from me. Lets go and pack to leave. Pack any warm clothes you have because it's still cold over there. Plus we are going to do a little traveling after we leave New Hampshire. Cordelia do you remember where your passport is?" "Yes it's in the safe along with Connors birth certificate. When Willow made Connors she also did one for you. I used it when I had to get a Social Security number for you when we registered Angel Investigations." Cordelia said. "Good, Wesley would you call Lorne and ask him to get Connors and my birth certificate and Cordy's passport and tell him to send them to Dr. Martin, Federal Express over night." Angel said, then he reached out for Cordelia and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "We are going to Ireland to see my old home. I haven't been back their since Darla and I left a year after she turned me."

"Where did this come from, I mean your decision to go back to Ireland all of a sudden?" Cordelia asked. "I went to the back porch and I was looking at the roses around the edges of the porch. The red roses reminded me of the ones from my mothers garden. I hadn't thought of those in many, many years. We can pick up a small lap top computer so that we can keep in touch with everyone over here and you can start on getting the passport for Connor and I. It's 3:30 now. I have to go and see someone then when I get back we can leave." Angel left with everyone just standing there where he left them. The shock of going to Ireland all of a sudden was just starting to lift. Cordelia was the first to recover. "Let's get busy Connor. Your father has spoken and we must obey." Then she gave a loud whoop and jumped up in the air then hugged Connor. "Where going to Ireland, where going to Ireland." She practically flew to the bedroom. Then she remembered something and went back into the living room. "Wesley I forgot to ask Xander if he would make a door for our bedroom. Would you do that please, thanks." She went back in and packed the clothes she had bought in the extra suitcase she had also bought. She also packed Connors new clothes in it also since all he had brought was a duffle bag. So Connors suit and her new clothes were in the new suitcase but when she tried putting Angels suit in she couldn't close it so she took all of the things out that she didn't have to worry about getting winkled and gave those to Connor to see if they would fit in his duffle bag. After that she was able to get everything packed away and closed without having to sit on the tops. It was now 5 o'clock and they needed to get going. Wesley was going to take them so they packed all of the suitcases in the back of the SUV and waited for Angel. Angel called within a few minutes and gave them instructions as to where to pick him up. Cordelia and Connor said their goodbyes then piled into Wesley's SUV and followed Angels instructions to as to where to pick him up. He had traveled through the sewers to get to his destination so he didn't have his car. Cordelia had never been to Hunters home so she didn't recognize it when they picked Angel up. Sunnydale was a small town so it didn't take them long to get to the airport and checked in. By 6:45 they had landed in L.A. and were running to the next gate. All of the time Cordelia was clutching her handbag close to her. It wasn't so much as all of the money in it, it was the tea that she was afraid to lose. They made it to the next gate with just seconds to spare. They quickly got settled in their first class seats and strapped their seat belts on. As soon as they took off Cordelia pulled out a small thermus that she had put blood into for Angel. It was plastic so it wasn't picked up on the x-ray machine. Angel drank it hungrily. "Mmm, that hit the spot. Thank you, I was powerful hungry Momma." Angel looked at Cordelia as he said that so he could see how she would react. "Your welcome Daddy." Cordelia said in return as she put the thermos back into her carry on bag. The stewardess came around to see if they wanted anything to drink while they waited for them to start serving. Angel asked for a glass of Southern Comfort over ice. Cordelia declined and Connor asked for a Pepsi. They settled in for the long flight since they were going straight through to Boston. Cordelia and Connor had the dinner that the airline gave the first class passengers. Angel asked for another Southern Comfort but declined dinner. Cordelia asked for a cup of hot water so she could make some tea. She told the stewardess that they were special herbs to help prevent morning sickness. By 1 A.M. they had landed and the airline transportation took them to the small airline that would take them to Manchester New Hampshire.

Connor was taking the flight pretty good considering that he had never flown before. When they got onto the small plane to get to Manchester though that was a different story. Angel noticed how he was gripping the arm rest. His knuckles were white because he was gripping them so hard. Angel reached over to him and put his hand on Connors. He calmed down immediately. He could feel Angels strength and calm passing through to him through Angels touch. Connor turned and gave him a nervous grin.

"Connor why don't you come and sit next to me and Angel can sit in your seat. These seats are so small that your father is uncomfortable sitting next to me. There is more room on your side since there is only one seat." Cordelia asked. Connor looked at both of them and said "Sure."

Angel and Connor traded places. "Thanks Connor." They all knew it was so that Connor could retain some dignity. Angel made as if he was more comfortable in the seat by the window.

Cordelia held onto Connors hand during the rest of the trip. He was doing a little better now that he didn't have to look at the small engines holding the plane up. It was different in the big jet because they were in front of the engines besides which he felt more safe in the big jet.

Thirty minutes later they landed at the small airport in Manchester New Hampshire. Connor got out of the plane and acted like everything was perfectly normal. When they reached the building he looked for the nearest bathroom and went running for it. Angel and Cordelia watched him. "He must be sick from being so nervous. He's probably throwing up his dinner. Let's wait here for him and don't say anything about it, okay?" Cordelia said. "Okay." Angel answered. "How are you doing?" Angel asked Cordelia. "That tea has worked miracles, as long as I have some after eating Im okay. Are you starting to feel better? You haven't been sick since yesterday." "Yeah I'm feeling stronger each day. I don't suppose you have another thermos in there." Angel pointed to the large bag she was carrying. "Yes as a matter of fact I do, but it's smaller than the other one though." "That's okay. Anything is better than nothing." Cordelia gave him the smaller thermos. Angel drank it all in one gulp then gave it back to her. "Thank you madam." "Anytime sir." Cordelia said. After another 5 minutes Connor came out. He looked a little pale but he was walking on his own. "You ready to go now?" Angel asked. "Yeah, I guess that dinner and flying for the first time didn't agree with me." Connor said. "You should have seen me the first time I flew in a plane. As soon as we got in the air I had to run to the tiny bathrooms they had on those planes. I barely made it. I spent half my time in their just cleaning up the blood." "You were scared about flying? You, a Master Vampire, you, formerly known as Angelus the scourge of Europe, you were scared." Connor said. He was shocked that Angel was admitting this to him. "Sure, don't forget that I was born during a time when we used horses for transportation and if you were to poor to have a horse you walked." Connor looked more relaxed after Angel told him about his first experience flying. They went to get their luggage and then continued on to the rental car counter.

"Here's the rental car counter." Angel said. Angel came back to them after a few minutes. "They're going to bring our Mini Van over here." "Mini Van. You got a Mini Van? Of all of the cars that I thought you would get I would never in a million years guess that you would drive a Mini Van. What kind is it?" Connor asked. "It's a Dodge Grand Caravan. I thought this would be better and more comfortable if any of the Sisters wanted to go out." Angel said. Cordelia and Connor were both staring at him. "Clothes your mouths you two here comes our Van."

Angel and Connor put their luggage in the back and piled into the Van. Angel got behind the wheel. "Hey this is nice. Lots of leg room. For once my knees aren't up around the steering wheel. How are you doing Connor. Do you have enough leg room?" Angel asked. "Yeah, it's so roomy back here that even Gunn could sit back here comfortably." Angel started up the engine and they started for Dr. Martins hospital. Since Angel could see at night as well as anyone else could see during the day time they made it there in only 2 hours.

Dr. Martin had instructed Angel to go to the guest house when they arrived and someone would be there to meet them. Angel pulled up to the front door. They all got out and approached the front doors and Angel rang the door bell. A little sister that had to be under 5 feet tall and over 65 answered the door. "Hi I am Angel Martin and this is my wife, Cordelia and my son Connor. Were here to see Dr. Martin." The elderly sister didn't say anything she just smiled and motioned for them to come in. Without saying anything she showed them around the house and then took them upstairs and showed them the bedrooms and the bathroom. She lit the fireplace in each of the rooms that they would occupy. The house was cold and Cordelia and Connor welcomed the heat. The old house didn't have any central heating but they did have a water heater. She showed them the kitchen which to Angels surprise had 6 containers of blood along with some eggs, butter, bread and other food for snacks. The sister closed the refrigerator and then walked over to the door and turned and gave Angel the keys to the front door along with an envelope from Dr. Martin. Then she opened the door, just as quietly as before, and left closing the door quietly once again.

"Why didn't she want to talk to us?" Connor asked no one in particular.

"It was Grand Silence for her. During that time they don't speak unless absolutely necessary. Let's get the luggage Connor. Cordy looks like she is ready to fall asleep standing up where she is." Angel and Connor went outside and retrieved all of the luggage. It had started to snow and Connor was so excited to see the snow coming, what seemed, out of the middle of no where. Since it was dark he couldn't see the clouds over head so it seemed that the snow flakes where just coming out of nothing. He started to shiver from the cold and that made him go inside. He went and stood over by the fire in the main room. The house was a large 3 story building. They were on the 2nd floor. Connor had taken a room at the other end of the hallway where he had a balcony and he could watch the snow come down.

By the time Angel came in with the luggage Cordelia was already undressed and in bed. They couldn't take a bath yet because the water was still cold. The sister had started up the water heater when she was showing them around so that Angel could see how to start it. He turned out the lights and undressed and got into bed along side his wife. The bed had a big and heavy comforter. It reminded him of the one that he used to have on his bed in Ireland when he was a boy. Angel went to sleep and dreamed dreams of Ireland, and for the first time in over 250 years he dreamt of his mother and Kathy.

At 10 A.M. Cordelia woke up and she found herself leaning on Angels chest and holding onto his left hand. She raised herself up on her elbow and bent over and lightly kissed his lips. He kept his eyes closed but he reached up with his right hand and put it on the back of her head and pulled her down into a long lingering kiss. Then he released her and slid down so that he could kiss her stomach. "Good morning baby." Angel put his ear to her stomach to see if he could hear a heart beat yet. He had to listen very carefully but he was sure that he did hear it. The sound was soft and rhythmic. "I can hear our child's heart beating Cordi. This is the first time that I have been able to hear it." He reached up again and gave her a light kiss and hugged her. He was crying deep sobbing cries of happiness. "Thank you Cordy, thank you for giving this child to me. Thank you God for Cordy and this child that grows in her. Thank you for the love that this woman gives me. I don't deserve them, but I promise to love them and defend them to my last breath." After a few minutes he let her go. He looked at her and wiped her tears away then his own. "Lets get up, Mom will probably be here soon." Cordelia said as she bent over and kissed him one more time then pulled away and went into the bathroom.

After a few minutes he heard the toilet flush and then she started filling the bath tub. After a few minutes she opened the door. "Are you going to join me?" She didn't get any answer so she came out to see if he was up or not. She found him still in bed and fast asleep. Since Angel's body was cold using cold water on him wouldn't mean anything to him. She thought about it then went back into the bathroom and dipped a wash cloth in the hot bath water, rung it out then went back into the bedroom. When she looked at the bed she saw that Angel had pulled the cover over to himself. She quietly walked over to the bed and pulled the covers down fast, but to her surprise they were nothing but pillows. "What are you doing?" Angel said real loud. He scared Cordelia so bad that she jumped up on the bed. "Angel you scared the shit out of me." Angel looked at the floor and the bed. "I don't see any." "You know what I meant." "I'll apologize if you tell me that you were not going to do what it looked like you were going to do to me." "Well I, I uh was just going to wipe your tears from your face and give you a kiss an get you to make wild passionate love to me." She gave him a sweet smile to see if he would except her story. "Well alright I'll let you get away with it this time but only because I hear Mom coming down the driveway. Lets take a bath fast and I'll take care of you tonight." As Cordelia headed to the bathroom he smacked her on the behind as she went by then followed her in. Cordelia waited for him to get in then she got in and sat between his legs. They quickly bathed each other. When Cordelia started to wash his left hand she noticed the ring on his little finger. "Where did you get this ring? I never noticed it before." "It's Hunters ring. It was her apartment that you picked me up at in Sunnydale. I had a long talk with her and explained why I needed to borrow it. She just looked at me and gave me the ring." Cordelia had turned around and just looked at him. "You understand what this means don't you Cordy? I can go outside in the daylight with you without turning to ashes." Cordelia turned around and just sat down again and finished his hands and legs and feet. Then she turned around and bent down and kissed him passionately. Her hands went down between his legs and played with him for a minute then grabbed his testicles and squeezed until she got a reaction from him.

"I thought I would only have to worry about the women of the night, but now that you can go outside during the day I will have to worry about the women during the daytime also. If I see you even looking cross eyed at a woman I am going to hurt you bad enough to last until we get home. Got it?" "Yes Cordy." Angel said meekly. Cordy let him go then and got out of the bathtub. She didn't speak to him while they dressed and then went downstairs. Connor was already in the kitchen. He had made coffee. He didn't know what they wanted to do about eating so he didn't make anything for them. Cordelia gave Connor a cheerful good morning. When Angel said good morning he said it in a high pitched tone. Then cleared his throat and said good morning again. Cordelia looked at him. Then they both busted out laughing. Angel pulled her to his chest. You know that I would never ever look at another woman the same way that I do you. I love you to much. If you die before your time Cordy I don't believe I would want to live without you." Cordelia didn't say anything she just hung her head down and leaned it against him. Angel picked her up and went to the couch in front of the fireplace. He put her on the couch and sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder and held her tightly. "I am sorry Angel, I know you love me and always will. It's just that when you told me that you could go out into the light of day all of a sudden all I could see was green. She put her arm around him. Did I hurt you real bad?" "I'll be okay. Of course my voice may go up a few decibels once in a while but I think they will be just fine. Darla used to do the same thing all of the time. Angelus had wandering eyes and his wanderings didn't always end up in a kill. When he would get back to Darla she would always be able to smell the other woman on him. One time she squeezed so hard that he thought his boys were going to pop out of his penis." They both laughed at the thought of Darla making Angelus suffer. It never came into Cordelia's mind that they were talking about Angels boys. Now that Angel no longer said I when talking about Angelus it was easy to think of him as an entirely different person.

Dr. Martin came in the front door at that time. She was dressed in her habit of course and she had a heavy black full length coat on. Angel and Cordelia got up from the couch and went to her. Dr. Martin ran into his arms and kissed him on his cheek and hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much." She let him go and grabbed Cordelia and hugged her also. Then Connor came to her and he got a hug also. "Connor I can't thank you enough for your letters. It made me feel as though I was still there when I read your letters." She turned again and looked at Cordelia. Congratulations Cordelia. I received copies of all of your medical records yesterday. We can try doing an ultrasound if you like." "That won't be necessary, Angel said he could hear the baby's heart beat this morning." Both women hugged each other again. "I am so happy for you two Cordelia. I have never seen two people that are more deserving of the gift of a child." Dr. Martin let go of Cordelia and looked at Angel. "How did it sound Angel. Can you describe it to me." "Yes it's very soft but if you listen real hard you can hear a rhythmic beat." Dr. Martin pulled out her stethoscope and asked Cordelia to lay down on the couch. She pulled her blouse up and put it on Cordelia's stomach and listened intently. Then after awhile she had a big grin on her face. "Do you mind if Connor listens?" Dr. Martin asked Cordelia. "No I don't mind, after all it is his little brother or sister." Connor bent over and put the stethoscope on while Dr. Martin put the other end on Cordelia. "I can't hear anything." Connor said. "Okay listen carefully now. I am going to put it up by her heart then slowly bring it down to where her uterus is. Okay now can you hear it?" Connor listened carefully and concentrated as he dismissed other sounds in Cordelia's body. It took awhile then all of a sudden he had a smile on his face that kept on growing with the passing of each second. He took the stethoscope off and smiled. "That is amazing. It took me awhile but I was finally able to block out the other sounds then I heard it."

"Have you two started thinking of a name? We can't keep referring to the baby as it. Within a few weeks we should be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl using the ultrasound." Dr. Martin asked Cordelia and Angel.

Angel looked at Cordelia. "Do you have a preference? I haven't let myself even think about such things yet." "If it's a girl her first name will be Mary, after Mom here. The second name will be Kathleen after your sister that you loved so much." Angel looked at her and hugged her. "Thank you. I was kind of hoping you would say that, because those sound just perfect. I can just hear us now 'Mary Kathleen Martin go do your homework now.'" Angel said as he hugged Cordy again. "But Daddy I want to go and play with the rest of the kids, can't I go just for an hour? Please Daddy? I'll give you a big kiss and a hug if you let me go. Please Daddy?" Cordelia said as she acted like a little girl and played with the button on Angels shirt.

"What if it's a boy?" Connor asked. Once again they looked to Cordelia.

"If it's a boy we will name him Michael William Martin." Cordelia said. "Michael, after St. Michael, and William after Spike. I always liked the name William for a man because he can also go by the name of Bill." Cordelia said. She wasn't sure if Angel would go for William since it was also Spikes real name. To her surprise he gave his approval.

"Michael William Martin, yes that sounds perfect. He can call himself Mike or Bill with his friends but to us he will always be Michael William." Angel said. "I'll call him Billy." Connor said.

While they had been talking the weather had changed to a heavy overcast. Dr. Martin went to the patio and checked the sky when she noticed it getting dark in the house. "It looks like we are going to get a snow storm tonight. Angel can you go out now so that we can go to the convent? It's getting pretty dark from the thick clouds."

"I borrowed a ring from another vampire that is able to go out during the day because of it. Her name is Hunter. She is over 4,000 years old and was given her soul back a thousand years ago I think. Someday I hope you can meet her. Since she can go out into the daylight she went to medical school also. You two can talk shop and while your talking I hope you can put your psychologist hat on and help her." Angel looked at the ring and twirled it around his finger. He was thinking about Hunter and how sorry he felt for her that she hadn't found the same kind of happiness that he had found.

"Well, anyway we can go now if you want?" Angel said to Dr. Martin.

"Okay, if everyone would get their coats and gloves on we can go right now." Dr. Martin said.

Cordelia put her coat on that she had brought with her from California. She hadn't worn it since she had gone to Colorado when she graduated. It was a little snug now but she was still able to button it. She also put on a nice pair of matching gloves and a bonnet that matched also. Connor had borrowed Wesley's coat. It was a little big for him since Wesley had broader shoulders and weighed more. Cordelia said it would be okay for now until they could buy one in New Hampshire. Angel of course had a coat of black. It was old and out of date but still functional since he didn't really need it for warmth. He did need something though or else if it got to cold he could get frostbite. Like everything else, it wouldn't kill him but it was painful. Dr. Martin looked at them. "Are we ready?" Everyone said yes. Angel opened the door for them and they all went out into the front and up the drive way to the convent. The convent was about 1,000 feet away so it was a bit of a walk. The driveway had deep piles of snow on the sides. Connor was walking ahead of the rest of them. Angel had been walking with Cordelia's arm around his. He let her arm go and ran after Connor and tackled him so that they both landed in the snow. Cordelia and Dr. Martin were watching them playing in the snow like two kids. Cordelia wanted to go and play also but she didn't want to take any chances.

"Alright you two lets get going." Dr. Martin said. Angel stood up and helped Connor to his feet. They brushed the snow off. "Is this the first time you've been in snow Connor?" Dr. Martin asked. "No, they took me up into the mountains when it snowed a lot last year. It was nothing like this though. Angel do you think we could try to make a snow man before we have to leave?" Connor asked.

"Well see. The snow has to be a little wet in order for it to stick together enough." He reached over to Connors shoulder and brushed off some snow and also under his collar. "See how we can just brush the snow off like it was dirt or dust?" Angel asked Connor. "Yeah." Connor answered. "Well it has to get to the point where it will stay on for awhile but start to melt within seconds. Then we can make our snowman. What do you think Dr. Martin? Do you think we might have snow like that tonight?" Angel asked. "Maybe, you never know at this time of the year." Dr. Martin said.

When they reached the front doors of the Convent. Dr. Martin turned to them. "I wanted to explain a few things to you Connor as to how to act with the sisters. I think Angel and Cordelia already know this but just in case they don't they can listen also. You do not normally touch the sisters unless they extend their hand to shake yours. Be careful not to speak loudly. You don't have to whisper but you don't make a lot of noise either. Right now it is 3 o'clock and we will be having vespers. I am going to leave you by yourselves in the back of the chapel behind the gates. Men are not allowed to walk around by themselves in the convent. Stay in the chapel until I come to get you. Vespers takes about 15 minutes. Take your coats off now so that you don't make a lot of noise when your in the chapel. Are you all ready?" They all answered yes and Dr. Martin led them into the chapel. As they entered they followed Dr. Martins example, except for Angel who abstained from the Holy Water but he did genuflect with the rest. She pointed to the row that they were to sit in. Then she left. A few minutes later she entered the chapel on the other side and Mother Superior started Vespers. Angel and Connor heard a light tap of a ring on wood and all of the sisters kneeled at the same time. Connor and Cordelia followed Angel in this because he kneeled also. As the prayers continued Cordelia and Connor noticed Angels hands started to tremble. Cordelia reached for his right hand and she felt the sweat on his palms. Then she heard Mother Superior say Angel, Cordelia and Connors name and Angel stopped shaking and his hands started to cool. A few minutes later they all stood as the sisters passed out of the Chapel. When the sisters had all left the chapel Angel sat down.

Dr. Martin came in after a few minutes and led them to the reception area again where they met Mother Superior. Dr. Martin started to introduce them but stopped when Mother Superior spoke up. "No introductions are necessary Sister. This of course is Angel." She reached out her hand to him and he took it and kissed her hand. "Good evening Mother Superior." "And this must be his beautiful wife Cordelia." She did not put out her hand to shake hands with Cordelia but instead put her hands on her right and left upper arm and pressed her cheek on each side of Cordelia's then let her go. "Good evening Mother Superior." Cordelia said as she displayed her best million dollar smile as Angel called it. Then she turned to Connor. "Since you are the only one left you must be Angels son Connor." She reached out her hand and Connor did as Angel had. "Good evening Mother Superior." "I cannot tell you all how happy we are to finally meet you. All the sisters are talking about how tall and handsome you are and how beautiful Mrs. Martin is. The nurses and doctors are saying that you and Cordelia will make beautiful babies together. You understand of course that all of the Sisters know who you are. I gave them just enough information so that they would know who they were praying for. Sr. Mary has made it clear that as little information as possible about you and your family should be given out. Right now only Sr. Mary, myself and Sr. Margaret are the only ones that know all about you." At that time another sister came in and talked to Mother Superior. She turned back to them after a few minutes. Angel, Cordelia and Connor, I have to leave for now. You can give your coats to Sr. Cecil here and she will put them away while your in here. I will see you later for Supper and tomorrow Angel I want to have a long talk with you. Please don't be angry with Sr. Mary for having told me so much about you. She told me all about what happened in California because of her vow of obedience. I'll take my leave now and I will see you in a couple of hours." Everyone stood up as Mother Superior stood to leave. When she exited they all gave their coats to Sr. Cecil and left the reception area and followed Dr. Martin into the interior of the convent. She led them up to the 2nd floor where there was a small sitting room. She told them to wait there while she checked on Sr. Margaret to see if she was strong enough to see them all. Dr. Martin came back in a few minutes. "Angel Sr. Margaret is awake and would like to see you first, alone. I don't want her to have too many visitors for to long of a time. She tires easily. I want you to understand that we have been giving her a lot of drugs for the pain she is experiencing and it normally makes her sleepy. She asked us to give her only the minimum amount of drugs so that she would be lucid enough to talk to you. Cordelia and Connor, I will come in and get you when she is through with Angel." Angel turned to Cordelia. "How do I look?" Cordelia stood back and looked him over. "Tuck your shirt in." When he was done she looked him over again. "Okay your ready to go." Angel followed Dr. Martin down the hallway that separated the rooms from the top of the chapel where the sisters that were well enough could sit at their own private windows and attend mass and prayers. At the other end of the hallway and next to the nurses office was the bedroom of Sr. Margaret. Angel grabbed Dr. Martins arm. She looked up at him. She could see that he was perspiring heavily and he looked like he was going to pass out. She grabbed hold of his arm and guided him over to the nurses office. The sister that was in there stood up. "Would you give us a few minutes sister." The young nurse curtsied to Angel and left and closed the door quietly behind her.

"What is wrong Angel. Is Angelus stopping you from going in to Sr. Margaret's room?" Dr. Martin asked as she poured him a glass of water then pulled up a chair for herself. She waited while he drank the whole glass then gave it back to her. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. He started to shake more. Blood red tears started to come from his eyes but he didn't seem to be really crying it was more like he couldn't control it. Then he lifted his head and looked at her. She could tell that he was fighting with Angelus. "Get Cordelia and Connor and get a tranquilizer just in case." Dr. Martin quickly went to get Cordelia and Connor and they ran to the other end of the hall when they heard a loud crash. They found Angel in the corner of the room. He had passed out and was laying face down on the floor. Dr. Martin checked him out. His pulse was racing and he was sweating profusely. She wet a cloth and put it over his face and wiped it and the back of his neck. She wet it again and put it over his forehead. He started to come around. He reached out for Connor to help him up and into a chair. When Cordelia went to him he immediately calmed down. Dr. Martin heard Sr. Margaret calling for Angel. Angel heard her call his name also. Cordelia stood up and pulled Angel up also. His legs felt like rubber, but he followed her. She followed Dr. Martin and pulled Angel along with her. Dr. Martin went into the room next door. "Sr. Margaret, this is Angel." Dr. Martin took Angels hand from Cordelia and gave it to Sr. Margaret.

"Angel don't be afraid. St. Michael and I would never do anything to hurt you. Come and sit down by me. I have been waiting so long to actually meet you." "It's not that I am afraid of you Sr. Margaret but Angelus is and he is fighting with me because he wants me to leave." Angel said as he sat down on the chair that was next to the head of her bed.

"I don't want you to worry about Angelus for now. St. Michael will take care of him. Think about our Lord Jesus Christ. Think of Him standing with His arms open wide and beckoning for you to come into His arms. His love and infinite mercy are waiting to embrace you." Angel closed his eyes for a minute while still holding on to Sr. Margaret's hand. Cordelia could see the pulsing vein in Angels neck slow down and the perspiration on his face started to dry. He looked up at Sr. Margaret again. "Do you feel much better now?" "Yes much better." "Good now we can talk. St. Michael and Sr. Mary have told me so much about you. Would you do me a personnel favor?" "Yes, if I can." Angel answered.

"Would you put your Vampire face on for me?" Angel shook his head. "I don't want to do that in front of you." "Please Angel do this one thing for me?" Angel thought about it for a minute then decided to do it. He bent his head down and changed his features. He brought his head up slowly so that she wouldn't be frightened. His special tears were falling down his face. He was sad that he had to expose such ugliness to such a holy woman. Sr. Margaret reached out both of her hands and caressed his face. She ran her fingers around his face and felt the elongated eye teeth. "This is the face of the demon Angelus is it not?" "Yes, it is, but not all of it. I can't do anymore than this and remain in control." Angel said. Then she felt the tears coming from his eyes. "Why are you crying Angel?" "I am ashamed of this face. I am sad that you should have to look at such ugliness." "Don't be ashamed Angel. This face isn't your fault. What happened to you isn't your fault. The things that Angelus did is not your fault. The only thing that you have to be ashamed of is the way you acted before you were turned into a Vampire and lost your soul. God himself intervened for you and gave you your soul back. You have to continue doing what you are doing." Sr. Margaret looked for Sr. Mary. "Sr. Mary will you and the others step out for a few minutes please. I have something to say to Angel that is for his ears only." Sr. Mary, Cordelia, and Connor walked out of the room. Sr. Margaret turned her attention back to Angel.

"Angel I know about the new relationship between you and Sr. Mary. I have been instructed by St. Michael to tell you that she will be coming home to you. She will leave the convent. Just as God has given you gifts she has been given the gift of you and your family. Other young women with the necessary skills to replace Sr. Mary have joined us within the last year. God has seen that you still need her and she needs you and your family. When Sr. Mary leaves she is to live with you at the Hotel and she will be your connection with St. Michael. One more thing Angel. You must sit down and have a long talk with your son. The sex of your unborn child has not been decided yet because Connor has not decided yet what he wants to do. Sit down with him and talk to him. Explain what is involved with taking care of Angel Investigations. Explain how he needs to work with you closely so that he can learn to take over Angel Investigations eventually. He must go to school and learn as much as he can. You have a lot of knowledge because of the many years you have been in this world. But Connor must go to school and learn everything much faster. Above all Angel he must learn to control his temper. He has that fiery Irish temper that he inherited from you. You must talk to him before the week is out Angel and he must make a decision before the end of this week. The sex of your child that Cordelia carries will depend on his decision. If he decides that he doesn't want to take over then Cordelia will have a boy with all of the same powers that Connor now has. If he does decide to join you and one day take over than your child will be a girl and Cordelia will pass on the Visions to her daughter. Connors sister will then become his seer. If Connor should decide to take over from you than he must start to become part of the Catholic Church. All of your children are to be brought into the church. The Catholic Church is not the only church that God excepts it's just that because of what you and your family does you need the prayers, ceremonies, rules and powers that are part of the Catholic Church." Sr. Margaret was tired now. She laid back down. Angel had returned to his normal features. "Sr. Margaret?" "Yes Angel." "Will Cordelia and I have many years together or will she be taken before I am?" "I cannot say Angel. None of us knows when God will call us home. If she is taken before you than you must learn to except it. Do not be angry at God for taking her. Try to continue to live in the manner that St. Michael, Sr. Mary, Cordelia and above all God has taught you. Thank him for taking her to be with him and to prepare a mansion so that you will be able to be together with each other for all eternity. Continue to say your rosary every day Angel. I love you and I will watch over you from heaven. Would you ask Sr. Mary to come in now please and remember that the information about Sr. Mary is for you only."

Angel stood up. "Thank you Sr. Margaret. Thank you for all that you have done for me." He took her hand and kissed it then left the room. He looked around. He didn't see Dr. Martin so he went down to the little sitting room where he found her. "Dr. Martin, Sr. Margaret would like to see you now." Dr. Martin got up and went down to Sr. Margaret's room. Angel sat and waited for her to come back. He didn't say anything about his visit with Sr. Margaret.

Dr. Martin came back after a few minutes. "Sr. Margaret is asleep now. Cordelia and Connor she wants to see you two tonight before you go back to the guest house. It's time for dinner now so let's go down to the guest dining room. Mother Superior is probably waiting for us. I've asked the cook to make you a very rare steak Angel and I am afraid you will have to wait until tonight to have a glass of blood. The cook is not aware of your nutritional needs and I didn't want to explain anything."

"Uh Dr. Martin I need some special tea that Willow had made up for me. It's down at the house. Is it okay for Connor to go and get it for me?" "Sure Cordelia. Connor just tell Sr. Cecil that you will be back in a few minutes. Well wait for you in the front hallway. Lets go."

Dr. Martin led them downstairs and into the hallway that contained the entrance to a small dining room. Connor left to get the tea and was back in a few minutes. Dr. Martin looked at her watch. "Let's wait here for a few minutes. The sisters are having their prayers and 15 minutes of examination of all that they have done today." "What is that?" Connor asked. "They think about all that they have done or thought of today. We ask ourselves 'Did I do anything against the rules of our order, was I uncharitable to some one because I was thinking only of myself, did I get angry because of pride in what I can do or that I thought I knew better than someone else. Did I break any of Gods commandments or did I break any of the commandments of the Catholic Church and other things." "I didn't think religious ever did anything wrong." Connor said as he was standing outside of the dining room with the rest. "Yes they do Connor, in fact they probably sin more than you do. The difference in a religious and anyone else, is they know more about what sin is and how it hurts Christ when we commit sins. For example we all know that you have a fiery temper. Did Holtz ever tell you that you should learn to control your temper and why?" "Yes, he used to hit me every time I showed my temper. He said that I had to learn to control it because I couldn't think clearly when I let my temper take over. As you know it didn't do me any good, but I did learn to focus better on whatever I was doing." "He was close Connor. It does fog your brain so that you can't think clearly on what you are doing but the real reason is that when you let your temper take over you always end up hurting someone. Either it's someone that you love or a stranger or a friend." Dr. Martin looked at her watch. "Well continue this later Connor if you don't mind. They are starting to serve dinner which means prayers are over. Lets go in now." Dr. Martin opened the door to the dining room. Mother Superior was sitting at the head of the table. They all greeted her as they came in. Angel pulled the chair out for Cordelia and Connor did the same for Dr. Martin. Then they sat down next to each other.

"Did you have a good visit with our holy Sr. Margaret Angel?" "Yes Mother I did. Angelus was giving me some trouble at first but Sr. Margaret taught me how to make him back down. She is a beautiful soul. I have seen only a few truly innocent people before and she is one of them." "Who else have you seen that you would call truly innocent?" Cordelia asked. "I think Dr. Martin would agree with me when I say that Willow is a truly innocent person. I hope that she never loses that quality as the years go by." Angel said. "Yes I agree." Dr. Martin said. "And who is the other one?" Cordelia asked as she batted her eyelashes at him. He knew what she wanted him to say. "It's not you, you little vixen. Any woman that can control me is no innocent. I was thinking of my sister Kathleen." "Well I'll bow down to your sister, but only because she is your sister and I know how much you loved her." Cordelia said.

One of the other sisters came in with a cart and Sr. Mary stood up to take the cart and hand out the bowls of food. "Where is Angels steak sister?" The sister reached down on the bottom of the cart and brought out a plate with a beautiful silver cover. She gave it to Sr. Mary and quietly left the room.

"My, my but we are getting first class service." She took the cover off. The steak was as big as the plate and at least 1 ½ inches thick. Angel looked at the steak and knew he couldn't possibly eat all of it. But he knew that the little sister and another one that they hadn't seen were waiting at the door for his reaction. So he cut into the steak and said loudly, 'Mmm, Mmm this is the best steak I have ever tasted. You should ask the cook how she did it Cordelia.' He heard the sisters giggling like two school kids as they left.

"Please forgive my display Mother but they were listening at the door for my reaction. I thought I would give them what they were hoping for. Take some of this Connor, I know you can eat at least half of this." Angel cut it in half and gave his son the better half. They all settled down then to eat their dinner. When they were done Mother Superior stood up and Angel and Connor stood up also. "Angel the sisters have asked me to ask you if you, Cordelia and Connor would join us for what we call recreation. It's is a time that we reserve for visiting with each and playing games or whatever the sisters want to do. I want you to know that if you join us that this will be an historic occasion for our order. No man except Priests and Brothers have ever come into our private living quarters. Usually men can only go as far as the gates in the visiting area."

"Why are they so interested in me?" Angel asked. Mother Superior looked at Sr. Mary in surprise at his question. " "Angel for one thing you have St. Michael as your Guardian Angel. Secondly God has taken a personnel interest in you. Third you are a destroyer of Demons. You are seen as almost St. Michael's equal in this world. Also last but not the least of these reasons, you have suffered the Crucifixion as our Lord did. They will want to see the nail marks in your hands. If you see them shed tears Angel it will be because they will be thinking of how our Lord suffered for 3 hours before he died." Angel looked at her. "Angel they may ask you to describe what it was like if you can remember. It would mean a lot to them."

"I can't Mother Superior, I just can't. Ask Sr. Mary what happened to me just trying to go into see Sr. Margaret. Angelus would never stand for it."

"Dad, I think you should look at Cordelia." Connor said.

Everyone's eyes turned to Cordelia. She was shaking like she was cold. Dr. Martin went over to her and checked her pulse. "Cordelia what's wrong?" Dr. Martin asked her. Her pulse was racing and she was close to passing out.

"I think I am picking up what Angel is feeling. Don't make him do it." She reached out for Angel. He grabbed her hand.

"Angel, I can't stand it, your mind is overpowering mine. Your coming through the link to strong." Cordelia said. She was holding her head by now.

"Angel calm down, put yourself in a trance if you can't shut Angelus up, but do something." Dr. Martin told him.

Angel closed his eyes and tried to calm down. Cordelia wasn't getting any better. Dr. Martin went over to him and started rubbing his neck and shoulders. Cordelia started to relax the more Dr. Martin massaged Angels neck and shoulders. After 5 minutes Angel reached over and took Cordelia in his lap.

"Mother Superior, I will go and see the Sisters now." "What made you change your mind?" Dr. Martin asked.

"A very brave woman once told me something when others where controlling her with fear." Cordelia had been resting her head against his shoulder. She straightened up when he started talking about when they first had sex after the rape. "This brave woman said 'I have to do this Angel, I won't let them control me any longer.'" Angel gave Cordelia a kiss and stood her on her feet. He straightened his clothes. "After you ladies." Angel said as he went to the door and opened it up for them.

Mother Superior led them down the hall to a very large room. Before they arrived he could hear all of the heart beats of the more than 100 Nuns in the room. Mother Superior and Sr. Mary stepped through the doorway and you could hear everyone stand up. Angel followed Cordelia into the room and Connor followed him.

"Sisters, Angel has agreed to meet all of you. He will answer any questions you may have for the next 30 minutes. He is a little nervous so please don't scare him by crowding him. He isn't used to having so many women around him. You may recall that he just got married a few months ago so he is still learning how to be around just one woman." Mother Superior looked at Angel and Cordelia. "Besides Cordelia has just started training him so he is still a work in progress. This young man over here is his son Connor. Sr. Mary will come to each of you that wants to ask a question. She will more or less screen your questions. The reason for that is, as you all know, she is Angels Doctor and she knows what kind of questions he cannot answer." Dr. Martin took the mike from the sister that was controlling the speaker and mike. She walked to the back of the room where one of the Sisters had stood up to ask a question. Dr. Martin listened to the question first. Then she turned around and went back to the front.

"Angel, Sr. Judy has said that they have all talked about what questions they wanted to ask you. They came up with 3 questions that they felt were the most important. The most important one is what did it feel like to be crucified? Second they want to know why you think it happened to you. Third who are you that God and St. Michael has taken so much interest in you?"

Angel was surprised at the last question. He put his hands in his pockets and walked back and forth thinking about what he should do. After a few minutes he came back and told Dr. Martin to describe what happened to him and not to leave out anything. "Are you sure Angel, because this means that you will have to tell them that you have a demon in residence with you." Angel laughed at what she said. "I never heard it put exactly that way. Yes I realize that. Do you think I will be putting us in danger if I do this?" "No, I don't. These women pray for you every day, when they are called home for their final reward the prayers will continue on with the next women to join us and will continue to do so until you are finally called by God to go home. While I am talking though I think it would be good if Connor walked around and listened for anything that you think doesn't belong here." Angel looked at her in surprise that she should say something like that. "Blame it on Wesley he is the one that made me this way. I told you I was spending to much time around you guys." Dr. Martin said with a smile.

"Angel has asked me to describe to you what his crucifixtion was like at least from my point of view as his doctor. When I am done Angel will talk to you and answer your other two questions."

Dr. Martin proceeded to tell the Sisters exactly what had happened. She told them of how Cordelia had discovered Angel hanging from a crucifix from the second story walkway. She described all of the blood that was pouring from his body and how Cordelia had found him because she had slipped in the pool of blood that had fallen from him. Everyone had helped to take him down and how he had screamed when they pulled the spikes out of his hands and how he had lost consciousness by the time they reached the one spike that was holding his feet to the wood. She described all of his injuries and how long it took for them to take care of all of them. She ended by telling them how long it took for him to heal. Several of the Sisters held up their hands. Dr. Martin knew what the questions would be about. "All of your questions will be answered by Angel."

"Angel, your on. Most of the Sister are well educated. We do have some though that have completed their elementary education only. So be careful in how you speak to them." Dr. Martin handed him the mike but he gave it to Sr. Judy. "I won't be needing this. Thank you." Angel proceeded to tell them all exactly who and what he was and what they all did at Angel Investigations now. He explained why he was able to go out into the sun light while he was here. He told them about the Sunnydale group including Spike and Hunter. He left nothing out, not even the killing of his own sister by Angelus. Dr. Martin noticed that Angel was saying Angelus instead of I through out the whole thing. Angel didn't stop with what it felt like to be crucified, he went on to explain what it was like to have his dream fulfilled in Cordelia and to find that God did love him.

"I don't know why God and St. Michael has taken a special interest in me. To tell you the truth I don't really question it anymore. I just do whatever God, St. Michael and my wife tells me to do." Angel said with a smile and everyone laughed.

"Are their any other questions that you would like to ask me?" Angel was feeling more relaxed now that he had told them his story.

One of the Sisters stood up and Dr. Martin took the mike from Sr. Judy and went to the Sister that was standing. The Sister told Dr. Martin her question. "Angel they want to know if you have any thing special that you would like them to pray for, for you?" Angel thought about it for a minute. "Would you pray for me that I never forget what my mission is. Would you pray for me that I never disappoint God and St. Michael and last but not least would you pray for me that Cordelia's and my children follow in our foot steps and keep Angel Investigations going."

Dr. Martin and Cordelia had tears falling down their faces. Cordelia came to Angel and put her arm through his. Dr. Martin wiped her tears away then turned to the Sisters again.

"Are their anymore questions?"

No one stood up. Mother Superior stood up when no more questions were asked. "I think that we will call it a night now since there are no more questions. Good night everyone." All of the sisters quietly exited the large room. "I will say good night also. Angel, Cordelia and Connor good night I will see you tomorrow." "Good night Mother Superior." They all said as she exited.

"I will also have to say good night, the nurse attending to Sr. Margaret said that she was in a lot of pain so she had to give her the full dose of medication which means she will be unable to see Cordelia and Connor tonight." Dr. Martin led them to the front door where the little sister had their coats ready for them. "The day for us ends early and starts early and I have surgery tomorrow morning. I won't come to get you until after 12 noon." Dr. Martin had walked them to the front door as they were talking. When they were ready she opened the door. She gave each of them a hug and a kiss before they went out of the door. Then quietly closed and locked the door behind them.

It was snowing heavily as they started down the driveway. Angel walked next to Connor. "You did real good today Connor. I was very proud of you." To Angel and Cordelia's surprise Connor stopped walking and turned to Angel. "Dad, today I was proud that I could claim you as my father. Today I decided that I want to follow you and learn about everything that I need to learn. When I get back I'll ask Wesley and Fred to help me with my schooling. I'll work with you whenever I can and one day I will work and fight by your side and hope that I can become at least half as good a man as you are. I want you to know that I have started taking lessons from Fr. Barris so that I can become a Catholic and receive the sacraments. I love you Angel as my real father. I am sorry for all the things that I have done to you. Can you possibly forgive me?"

Angel had tears in his eyes. He grabbed Connor and hugged him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "These tears Connor are tears of joy. I never stopped loving you. It was always here in my heart waiting for you to accept it." After awhile he let Connor go and bent down and picked up some snow. "You know I think that we just might be able to make that snow man tomorrow. And if we have enough snow, which I think we will, we'll make it the biggest Snow Man that the Sisters have every seen." Angel walked over to Cordelia and picked her up in his arms. Twirled her around then put her down. "Today I am the happiest man in the world." He let her go and beat his chest like a big gorilla and gave a Tarzan yell. "Angel stop that your going to scare the Sisters." Cordelia said. Angel looked at her and started to act like Tarzan again. "Me Tarzan not Angel." Angel looked at Connor. "Boy, you go run, make fire inside of bedrooms." Connor and Angel liked watching the old Tarzan movies so Connor knew how to play along. He started to act like Cheetah and took his shoes and coat off and jumped up to one of the trees that was along the driveway. "Boy come down and make fire for Jane and Tarzan. Jane getting cold." Connor just swung from tree limb to tree limb and all the time making noises like Cheetah. "Come and make me old man. If you can that is." Then he jumped up and down on the limb like a regular monkey and making noises like Cheetah. Angel couldn't resist the challenge. He took his shoes, socks and coat off and jumped up to the same limb that Connor was on. "Hah! Now what are you going to do?" Angel asked. "You two better not tear your clothes. Those are the only suits I brought for you." Cordelia yelled at them as she picked up their shoes, socks and coats. They threw down their jackets also and she picked those up as well. For 30 minutes they played tag up in the trees. Finally Cordelia had enough. She was freezing. "Angel and Connor I am going inside and start the fire in the living room. I am going to make some hot chocolate with little marshmallows that I found in the cabinet this morning." Cordelia yelled at them. They had gone further out into the woods though so they didn't hear her. Thirty minutes later Connor came in the house. His feet and hands were freezing. He had come in after he lost track of Angel. When Cordelia came into the living room she found Connor with his feet pointing towards the fire. She had heard him come in and brought him a sandwich and a cup of hot chocolate. She knew he would be hungry.

"I'll see you in the morning Connor. Goodnight, oh, just to let you know Angel came in about 15 minutes ago. He's probably already in bed after taking a nice hot shower." "That dirty rat, he left me out there all this time looking for him. Now I'll be awake half of the night thinking of a way to get back at him." Connor said as he took a bite out of his sandwich. Cordelia went upstairs with a hot cup of chocolate for herself and Angel.

They had stayed up until 1 A.M. just watching the snow fall. Then they crawled into bed under the soft covers and the thick quilt. It didn't make any difference to Angel but it felt so good to Cordelia. She cuddled up to him and rested her head on his arm. She felt safe and warm. They both fell asleep as soon as they were in each others arms.

Three hours later Angel heard the phone ringing. He got up and put his pants on and ran downstairs to answer it. "Hello Angel speaking." "Mr. Martin, this is Sr. Cecil, Sr. Mary has asked me to call you. Sr. Margaret is dyeing and she is asking for Mrs. Martin, you, and Connor. She wants you all to come right away." "Thank you will be there as soon as possible." He hung up and ran back upstairs taking them 2 at a time. He went to Connors room first and knocked on the door. Connor wake up, I just got a call saying that Sr. Margaret is dying and she is asking for us. Well meet you downstairs. Then he went back to his room and found Cordelia already up and getting dressed. "I heard you telling Connor that Sr. Margaret is asking for us." Angel put the rest of his clothes on and they went downstairs. Connor was already their and holding their coats. He handed Angel his and helped Cordelia on with hers and they headed up to the convent. Sr. Cecil was there waiting for them. She took their coats and then guided them to Sr. Margaret's room. Dr. Martin was standing outside of her door. "She wants to see you first Cordelia. When Cordelia comes out you can go in Connor. Cordelia went in and she was in there for 15 minutes then she came out and Connor went in. After 10 minutes Connor opened the door and told them all to come in. Dr. Martin checked Sr. Margaret then told Angel she was going to go and wake Mother Superior and the rest of the Sisters.

"Angel come and sit down beside me. Give me your hand." Sr. Margaret said as she reached out for him. Angel sat in the chair next to the bed and took her small thin hand in his hand and put his other one over them.

"Tonight Angel I am finally being called home." Sr. Margaret said in a low shaky voice. He could tell that she was in a lot of pain. Her skin was almost as cold as his was and she struggled for each breath. "Along with St. Michael I will watch over you and your family. I will continue to pray for you and your family." She looked to the foot of her bed. Cordelia was sitting to his right and Connor was beside her. A priest, Mother Superior and Sr. Mary were on the other side of the bed. He could hear all of the other Sisters down in the chapel praying for Sr. Margaret. "St. Michael is here to take me home now. Connor has told me that he told you tonight that he wants to follow in your footsteps. So that means you and Cordelia will have a girl. Have you decided on a name yet?" "Yes, we will be naming her after my sister Kathleen and Sr. Mary. So her name will be Mary Kathleen Martin." Angel answered with a smile. "That sounds like a good Irish name. I am very happy for you Angel. You have suffered for so long. You will continue to suffer Angel as we all do as we go through life but it will no longer be so intense. Listen and learn from Sr. Mary. Goodby Angel." Angel felt her soul leave her body. He kissed her hand and put it back under the covers and straightened the covers. He looked up at Sr. Mary and Mother Superior. "She is gone now." Angel said. Dr. Martin checked her heart to make sure that it had stopped. Another Sister had come in and given candles to everyone. The lights were turned out in the convent and each sister took the light from the candle that was by Sr. Margaret's bed. They passed it from one to the other and one of the sisters went down into the chapel and they all lighted their candles that originated from that one light. Everyone kneeled then and started the prayers for Sr. Margaret's soul. Angel, Cordelia, and Connor kneeled down also. Thirty minutes later Sr. Mary was guiding them out of the door. "I'll come and see you tomorrow Angel. It will be quiet in the convent for awhile and I won't be busy at the hospital either. Good night everyone." Angel gave her a kiss on her forehead and he turned and left. They walked back to the guest house in silence. Cordelia went right to bed but Angel sat out on the balcony just thinking.

Three hours later she woke up and found him still sitting out there. The sun was just starting to come over the hills. Cordelia got up and wrapped the quilt around herself.

"Come to bed Angel. I need to feel your arms around me." Cordelia sat in his lap and pulled the quilt around both of them. "Why, is our Mary Kathleen lonely?" "How do you know it's a girl?" "Sr. Margaret told me. She said if Connor follows in my footsteps and wants to help with Angel Investigations then our baby would be a girl. She will grow up to be his Seer." Angel turned his gaze back out to the landscape. He watched a deer come to the front by the buildings where the snow wasn't as thick and it could push the snow aside with its nose. "I love you Angel and I am proud to be your wife. Let's go back to bed."

Angel picked her up and took her to the bed. He laid her down and let her get under the covers then rearranged the quilt. Angel carefully closed the french doors and curtains. He put another log on the fire then took his own clothes off and crawled into bed with her.

The next morning Cordelia woke up at 10. She looked at Angel sleeping so peacefully. Suddenly she was filled with love for him and began to kiss him. He opened his eyes and looked into hers. "Let's celebrate life Cordelia. Let me make love to you. We haven't done it in over a month since you are usually sick." "Yes, lets celebrate life Angel." He started to kiss her. His lips forced her mouth open and his tongue searched out hers. He left her mouth and traveled down her body along that familiar path. Reaching her stomach he licked it and listened to his daughters heartbeat. Cordelia felt him put his ear to her stomach. She put her hand on his head. "I wish you could hear it Cordy." "I can Angel. I can't feel her yet but I can hear her heart beat through the link I share with you. I can feel the immense amount of love that you already have for her." Angel listened for awhile then continued his worship of Cordy's body. He went to her breast and suckled at each one. Then he chose the left one to bite into and start to drain a small amount of her blood. Cordelia threw her head back and held onto his head and pressed it against her. After a few minutes Angel let her go and carefully licked the wound. Cordelia kneeled on the bed and pushed Angel down and held his arms up over his head. She kissed him all over his body and lingered at his neck. When he felt her sucking on the skin he pushed her away. "Cordy your going to give me a hickey if you continue doing that." He rubbed his neck. He knew she did it high enough so that it could be seen over his collar. Cordelia was giggling. "Yes, me Jane, you Tarzan. Jane put her mark on Tarzan so that everyone will know that Tarzan belongs to Jane." She fell on him again and started to suck on him again. Angel was laughing at her and started to tickle her so that she would stop. She stopped then continued down his body and lingered there. When he was hard and ready for her she lifted her hips over him and took him gently into her opening. She wrapped her muscles around him and raised herself up and down on him slowly. Angel grabbed her arms and turned her so that she was now laying on the bed, but he had not withdrawn from her. He started to pump her but he was careful not to go into her too far. Just as she was about to climax he put his vampire face on and bit into her neck. At the same time he was pumping her faster. He started to suck the blood from her neck. Cordelia put her own hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't scream to loud. They both climaxed and Angel almost collapsed on her but at the last second he put his arm out and rolled to the side. He reached for her and pulled her to him so that he could lick the wound in her neck. He continued licking it until the bleeding had stopped and the two marks on her neck were almost completely gone. He pulled the covers over them again and then pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and they fell asleep in each others arms.

Dr. Martin came knocking on the door at 12:30. Connor answered the door. "Good morning Connor. How are you on this beautiful day?" Dr. Martin asked as she took off her coat and gloves. Connor took them from her. "Good morning grandma. I am waiting for Angel to get up so that we can see if we can make a Snow Man today." "You mean those two still aren't up?" "Well to tell you the truth they were getting a little noisy this morning for awhile then it got real quiet." "Well lets go and wake them up." Dr. Martin and Connor started for the stairs. They almost ran into Angel and Cordelia as they went around the corner to start going up the stairs.

"Don't bother were already up and ready to start another glorious day." Angel said. He came down the steps and gave Dr. Martin a hug and kiss. "Good morning Mom." Angel let her go then. "Good morning my boy. Cordelia good morning." Dr. Martin gave Cordelia a hug and kiss. "Why are you two in such good spirits this morning?" "We are basking in the after glow of the celebration of life." Angel said with a big grin on his face.

"Dad, hurry up and have your breakfast so that you can see if we can make a snow man. I've been waiting on you for the last 2 hours." Connor said as they walked to the kitchen. Cordelia went into the kitchen with Dr. Martin and started to make something light for herself and poured some blood in a glass for Angel to warm up. He had taken a liking to toast with his blood in the morning so he was busily making toast and warming his blood up. He also poured some milk for Cordy and filled a table thermos with coffee that Connor had made. Dr. Martin grabbed 3 coffee cups for them and took all of the drinks and cups to the table. They all sat at the table and Cordelia and Angel dug into their breakfast while Dr. Martin started to pour coffee into their cups. Cordelia reached out her hand and put it over the cup. "None for me thank you, I drink the tea Willows friend gave me." "Would you give me some of the herbs so that I could see what it is Cordelia?" Dr. Martin said. "The midwife put the herbal ingredients on the outside of the package. I'll give you a little packet though and give the ingredients to you. It's been working real well though. It tastes good and I haven't been sick since I started taking it. She told Willow that women have been taking it for thousands of years." "I would just feel better Cordelia if I could check it out myself." Dr. Martin said.

"When is the funeral for Sr. Margaret going to take place?" Cordelia asked. "We have to wait for her relatives to call back as to when they will arrive, but we are working towards Friday though." "What is going to happen today if anything?" Cordelia asked as she finished off her milk. "Sr. Margaret's body is being prepared for burial and then she will be kept in a room where people can go in and pray for her or to her. But don't forget that you and Connor have a date with Mother Superior today." "You go first Cordelia, Dad and I are going to build a snow man. Let's go Dad." Connor grabbed their coats and handed Angels his while he put his on.

"How did the snow look Grandma?" "It looks just right Connor. You two should be able to make a nice big one. Would you do me a favor though and make it in the back of the convent. It won't look to good in the front." "Okay. Can we make it in the back of the guest house so I can look at it from my window?" "Yes that will be fine, go and have fun now. Are you ready to go Cordelia or would you rather watch our boys play in the snow?" "I would like to watch them for awhile if you don't mind?" Cordelia asked as she sipped at her tea. "Let's go upstairs in the bedroom that Angel and I are using. It has a balcony where we can curl up with some blankets, sip tea and coffee and watch the boys play." Cordelia put her dishes in the sink and cleaned them and put them away. Then Dr. Martin and her made their way up stairs. They pulled some chairs out to the balcony and wrapped themselves with blankets. Angel and Connor already had the bottom of a snow man ready and were working on the middle. They were making the snow man so big that they were clearing a lot of the new snow away. Cordelia noticed they had discarded their coats already.

"How are things with you and Angel, Cordelia?" "What do you mean?" Cordelia asked.

"Are you having any problems? You know, marital problems. I know the sex is great but what about the every day to day life or night to night life in Angels case. Do you regret not being able to go out into the daylight with him? Are you concerned about the baby?"

"No Mother, I have been living the night time life with Angel for so long now that it seems normal. As for marital problems, no we don't have any. You know me, if I didn't like something that he was doing I would come right out and tell him or at least make him sit down with me and talk about it. He told me once that he has talked more in just these last 5 years than he has in all of his human and vampire life. Did he ever tell you about the second year that Angel Investigations was operating." "No, what happened." "We had an especially nasty demon we were having to deal with. He was working with Wolfram & Hart. Anyway to make it short he blew up the offices and almost killed Wesley. Wesley was in the hospital for almost 2 months and Angel and I went to Sunnydale. Buffy had called and asked us to come and help her with a problem that she was having. While we were there Angel was badly injured when a bunch of demons tried to kill him. What they ended up doing was crushing his spine and he ended up a paraplegic. It took him 2 months to heal. Remember a vampire that Angel told you he borrowed his ring from?" "Yes she is the one that's a doctor?" "That's right, anyway she took care of him. If she hadn't been there I don't know what we would have done. All the time he was stuck in bed and the wheel chair I made him talk. We talked about everything. I would lay down beside him in bed and read to him. At first he couldn't talk very well but when he was able to I kept asking him questions about himself and his life before he became a vampire and after. I told him all about myself and what was a very short life compared to him. He had to talk to me because he was more or less a captive audience. I also kept him talking because it helped him to practice his speaking skills. Whenever he didn't talk for a day or two for whatever reason he would have difficulty speaking and would frequently mix up his languages. I have always adjusted to Angels life Mother. Their isn't much we can do about him adjusting to mine. I think though that my love for Angel makes things easy for me. When he has his Vampire face on I hardly even notice it. You know how when babies start crying all of the time, Angel was having to deal with it. He wanted to be the perfect Daddy when he had Connor. You'll never be able to guess in a million years what he did to get Connor to stop crying. He would put his Vampire face on and Connor would quiet down right away. If Angel changed back then Connor would start crying again. Sometimes when I would come in, in the morning he would be sitting in the rocking chair with Connor in his arms and he would still have his Vampire face on." Cordelia sat quietly for awhile rocking herself back and forth. Her eyes were following Angel at all times.

Cordelia looked up at Dr. Martin. "Before Angel and I realized that we loved each other I remember feeling so safe and comfortable when he was around. When he would leave the room I remember feeling like part of my heart had been cut away. I slowly realized that he was the reason why I felt like that. I love him so much Mother that when I can't see him, hear him or be with him I feel actual physical pain. That pain doesn't go away until I can at least hear his voice. On our wedding night, Angel initiated a link between us. He said it was like the link he shares with Spike except that this link was more personnel. He said he would always be able to 'feel' me. He would be able to feel my well being, my happiness, my sadness, my physical well being. Also as time goes by I am becoming more aware of the link and can sense his well being. I'm not quiet sure of how to describe the other thing that I feel but I think I feel the sense of his physical being. And for that I am very thankful to God. I will always know if Angel is okay or not and I don't hurt anymore when he isn't physically by me. I pray that either we both die together or that I die first. Because I don't want to endure the pain of losing him, but then I think of how he will suffer if I should die before him and I don't want him to suffer anymore." Both Cordelia and Dr. Martin wiped their tears away and blew their nose. "I think we had better go and see Mother Superior. The boys look like they are just about done with that snow man." Dr. Martin said as she got up and her and Cordelia put the chairs back and folded up the blankets. As they started to walk up to the convent Connor and Angel came over.

"Do we have a camera Cordelia?" Connor asked. "Yes, remember I gave it to you to put into your duffle bag." Connor went running back to the guest house. He was back in a few minutes and went right to the snow man. He must have taken 6 pictures of the snowman and all from different angles. The rest were having just as much fun watching him as he was taking the pictures. "Come on Connor, lets go. Mother Superior must think we got lost." Angel said.

Little Sr. Cecil was their again taking their coats. Dr. Martin led them into the reception area and left for a minute while she went to see if Mother Superior was ready for Cordelia. She came back after 10 minutes. "Cordelia Mother Superior can see you now. Angel and Connor I think you will be interested to know that we have a Play Station over here that you can play with. The games are over here. I will be over at the hospital for awhile. Someone will bring Cordelia back and get Connor. Okay so I will see you in a couple of hours. Remember now don't make too much noise." "Yes Mother, Yes Grandma." Angel and Connor said at the same time. Dr. Martin left and Connor went for the Play Station. Angel was looking at the wood work that was in the room. The walls were of some type of redwood that had to have been brought over from the west coast. Each piece of wood that made the walls looked like it had been made to fit by hand. The fireplace was a black marble and was very old looking. It was probably put in when the house was built. A crucifix was centered over the fireplace next to a picture of what Dr. Martin said was the foundress of the order. Further over in the opposite corner was the television and Play Station that Connor was playing with. Angel went over and joined him and they continued on until Cordelia came back with another sister that Angel had never seen before.

"Sister could you take us to the chapel." Angel asked. "Yes I can do that. Connor will you come with us please." Connor was putting the Play Station and games away then came to join them. The sister took them to the back of the chapel. Up at the front by the alter they could see Sr. Margaret's coffin. The sister opened the gates and led them to the front. "Until the funeral Mother Superior has instructed me to open the gates and let you in to the main part of the chapel. I am going to leave you now and take Connor to Mother Superior." Angel and Cordelia went to the first pew and started to say the rosary. After they were done they just sat and looked at all of the inside of the chapel. "What are you thinking of Angel?" He was quiet for awhile before he answered. "When Angelus and Darla traveled around by themselves they would sometimes take shelter in the barn of a convents stable. Before they left,..... all of the sisters would be dead. Cordelia my heart is sore from the sorrow that I feel and the shame that my body was used to rape many of the sisters. Angelus is laughing at my tears. He is saying that I enjoyed it. But I didn't Cordy, I didn't, I couldn't control him. I couldn't make him stop. He let me see what he was doing and I couldn't stop him." The front of Angels shirt was red with his tears. Cordelia did the only thing that she could do for him. She took his right hand and rubbed the mark from Dr. Martins ring. She took his other hand and put his hand on the mark. Don't forget what Dr. Martin said Angel. Concentrate on the mark and pray to St. Michael to help you. Angel got to his knees and put his head on the rail. Cordelia kneeled with him and Angel held onto her hand. He prayed to St. Michael and Sr. Margaret to help him deal with what he was feeling and to make Angelus back away.

At the back of the Chapel several sisters had walked in to pray at Sr. Margaret's casket. What they saw made one of them literally run to get Mother Superior. The other sister called Sr. Mary to come to the chapel immediately. They all came back at the same time. What they saw made them kneel at the gates of the chapel. A white glow surrounded Angel and Cordelia. They could see Sr. Margaret standing with her hand on Angels head and looking up. They could see her mouth moving but they couldn't hear her. Connor was standing at the back also. He just stood their staring at his father and Cordelia and the apparition surrounding them. After 30 minutes the apparition disappeared and Angel raised his head and they both sat down.

"Are you okay now?" Cordelia asked him. "Yes my heart is much lighter now and Angelus is quiet. Thank you for helping me Cordy." He looked around when he heard someone approaching them. It was Dr. Martin. In the back he could see 10 or more of the sisters standing behind the gate. Connor was standing with them also. Dr. Martin had told them to stay in the back until she signaled to them that they could come forward. She sat in the pew behind Cordelia and Angel.

"Is their something wrong Angel?" Dr. Martin asked.

"Not anymore. Everything is fine now." He said with a smile. She saw the stain of his blood filled tears on his shirt.

"Do you mind telling Mother Superior and I what it was?" He thought about it for a minute. "I'll tell only you and Mother Superior. I'll leave it up to you as to whether you want to tell the other sisters about it." Dr. Martin signaled for only Mother Superior to come forward. She came and sat next to Dr. Martin.

When she was seated he started to explain what happened. "Cordelia and I came in here to say our rosary and just sit here for awhile with Sr. Margaret. Then Angelus started to remind me of what happened over 175 years ago when they traveled the country side alone. Darla and Angelus would often take shelter in a convent stable during the day. When they would finally leave the convent grounds all of the sisters would be dead. Angelus and Darla killed all of them and drank their blood. They would make the sisters last over several days. The thoughts that bothered me the most was that Angelus used my body to rape many of the sisters. It didn't make any difference to him as to what they looked like or how old they were he just raped them for the fun of it. He would have fun making them feel fear because it always made the blood taste sweeter. Angelus was telling me that I enjoyed it and that I could have stopped him if I wanted to. I told this to Cordy and how bad I felt that he had used me to cause pain for so many. She reminded me of the mark of Dr. Martins ring on the palm of my hand. She also reminded me of what she had said. Dr. Martin had told me that whenever I was having problems with Angelus that I should pray to St. Michael. When I did it though I prayed to Sr. Margaret also and asked them both to help me."

"Angel when you were kneeling and praying we saw a white glow like a mist around you and Cordelia. After awhile we could see Sr. Margaret standing by you. She had her hand on your head and she was looking up. We could see her mouth moving but we couldn't hear anything."

"I guess that's when I started feeling better and Angelus backed off." Angel and Cordelia stood up and then went over to Sr. Margaret's casket. He genuflected in front of the altar then kissed the casket. "Thank you Sr. Margaret." Then they turned and left the chapel. Dr. Martin followed them. Angel was stretching his arms. The previous hour had made his muscles tighten up with the stress of the moment. "You know I am starving and I have my mind on a ham sandwich on wheat bread, mustard, onions, tomatoes and lettuce. Do you think we could get something like that from the kitchen Dr. Martin?" Angel said as he wrapped his arm around Cordelia's neck. "Can you wait about 30 minutes Angel? It's almost time for dinner. I'll ask the cook to provide that sandwich for you. Cordelia do you want the same thing?" "Yes, I was just thinking about the same thing. But could we have pickles and chips also and I like swiss cheese."

"How about you Connor?" "That sounds real good to me." Connor said. "I guess all of the time we spent working and making my snow man gave me a real appetite." "I'll see you in 30 minutes." Dr. Martin said as she left them. They all went to the reception area. Angel turned the TV on and looked for news on the weather. The local news was just starting so they sat down to watch it.

When it was over Dr. Martin walked in. "Dinner time everyone." Everyone got up to follow her into the guest dinning room. Once again an elderly sister brought in a cart filled with food, and to Connors delight some Pepsi's along with the coffee and milk and a carafe filled with hot water for tea. Once again Dr. Martin unloaded the cart. As Angel had requested their were plates filled with slices of ham, and roast beef. Several plates of onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, several types of cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard. They also had their choice of bread. When she was done unloading the cart she pushed it over to the wall. "Whoops, almost forgot the chips." Dr. Martin went to sit down. Just when they were going to start eating Mother Superior walked in and Angel and Connor stood up. Connor pulled out her chair for her and helped her to get it closer to the table then sat down.

Both Angel and Connor made large sandwiches for themselves. They spent the next 15 minutes just eating those huge sandwiches. "How are you feeling now Angel." Dr. Martin asked. She had a smile on her face because she was pretty sure as to what was going to happen soon.

"I'm not feeling to good now. It tasted good going down but I don't think it's sitting to good. I am sorry everyone but I have to go back to the guest house now. I'll see you tomorrow." Angel got up and quickly walked to the door and left. "You better follow him Connor. I think that sandwich is going to come back up. I'll give Cordelia something to help him." Connor grabbed his and Angels coat and followed him to the guest house. Dr. Martin had a big grin on her face all of the time.

"What is so funny?" Mother Superior asked. "Mother, Angel is not used to eating solid food. He said he couldn't taste it. One of the gifts God gave him though was the gift of the taste of food again. When I told him about this I told him not to eat too much because his system wasn't used to it. Both Cordelia and I have only been giving him small rare steaks. But Cordelia here is pregnant now and I think she is starting to get cravings. When she was having morning sickness Angel felt the nausea also and was getting sick right along with her. Well this was his first sample of the terrible 'got to have it' cravings. His system isn't used to food like that and he also ate a large quantity of it. So Cordelia I think he will learn his lesson from tonight. Do you know if his bladder and kidneys have started to function normally now that he is eating more solid food?" "Yes, at least his bladder is working. Didn't you notice him showing Connor how to write his name in the snow." They all had a good laugh. "I am going to give you some medicine to give him. It will make his stomach feel better. I am also going to give you some rubber gloves and suppositories just in case." Dr. Martin left then to get the supplies. She was back in 20 minutes. "Make sure that he understands that this was a little harmless lesson for him. His stomach just can't handle the type of food and the quantity that he consumed tonight. He hasn't had to deal with such physical feelings like this for a long time, and I mean a long, long time. His craving for a ham sandwich was probably yours. By the way, do you have that sample of the tea your drinking?" "Yes." Cordelia reached into her pocket and took out a small plastic bag with the herbs for the tea and gave it to Dr. Martin. Cordelia picked up the bag of medical supplies that Dr. Martin had given her and stood up. "I guess I had better go now and take care of my baby. Thank you and good night Mother Superior." "Good night Cordelia." Dr. Martin walked her to the door and gave Cordelia a kiss on the cheek. "I am going to call Connor and let him know that your coming home. Be careful walking back." Cordelia turned and left to go down the driveway.

She could see the light on the guest house and Connor walking towards her.

"How is Angel?" He's up in bed. He lost his dinner before he even got back to the house." "My poor baby. Dr. Martin said that I was probably experiencing my first cravings for food and Angel was picking up on my craving for a ham sandwich. Unfortunately Angel was also hungry and he overate solid food that he isn't used to. She gave me some medicine to give him."

Cordelia and Connor reached the house and Cordelia put some water into a pitcher and took it up stairs. Connor was sitting in front of the fireplace and watching TV. "Good night Connor." "Goodnight Cordelia. Call me if you need help with him." She smiled at him then went upstairs.

Cordelia opened the door to their bedroom as quietly as she could. She turned the light on that was on the night stand. She sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Angels forehead. "Angel, wake up baby. I have some medicine for you that Mom gave me." Angel didn't open his eyes but he did speak. "I don't want to open my eyes. It hurts to much. Cordelia I barely made it out of the door before I lost it all in the snow by a tree. It tasted so good going down but it didn't taste so good coming back up." Cordelia took the small bottle of medicine that Dr. Martin had put into the bag. "Here drink this it will help you to feel better." Angel took it from her and drank it straight from the bottle. Then she gave him a glass of water. "Are you feeling a little better now?" "Yes it does feel better." Angel said. He laid back down and pulled the covers over his head. "Angel Mom said that this was probably your first taste of my, what she called my 'gotta have it cravings.' To top it off you were hungry from all of the playing you and Connor were engaging in, in the snow and your eyes were bigger than your stomach when you sat down to eat. She said that you will have to be careful or this will happen each time. She also asked me one other thing. She wants to know if you have had a bowel movement since you started eating solid foods more often." Angel pulled the cover down from his head real fast when he heard that. "What does she want to know that for?" "Angel she is our family doctor now and those are things that doctors always ask. Do you remember what it feels like when you do have to go or what it feels like when your constipated?" Angel thought about it. "No I don't think so." "You don't think so about what?" "I don't remember what it feels like." "I think I'll call Dr. Martin and ask her to check you or would you rather that I give you this suppository and see what happens?" "How do they work?" "Well she gave me these gloves for when I shove the suppository up your rectum. Then you should go to the bathroom because if you have anything in your large intestine it will come out at that time." "It sounds disgusting and very uncomfortable." "That my dear husband is part of being a normal human being. So I guess that God thinks that if you can handle the other gifts He has given you than you can handle this also. Just remember that we only have one bathroom in this room. Would you like me to get you anything else?" "No just come to bed and hold me. I don't particularly care for this part of being human and I feel like I need some major babying." "Okay but mama needs to take care of her own bodily functions right now. I'll be back in a few minutes." Cordelia turned off the light on the night stand then went into the bathroom. A few minutes later she came back into the bedroom. She disrobed and crawled into bed with him. She started to trace the tattoo on his back then stopped and was quiet for awhile.

"Angel." "Yes" "We saw you showing Connor how to write his name in the snow this afternoon." "Oh jeeze Cordy." He pulled the sheet over his head than. Cordelia laughed at him then rolled over and went to sleep.

The next morning Cordelia gave Angel the suppository and within 20 minutes he went running into the bathroom. She went downstairs and made herself and Connor some pancakes. Connor was always up way ahead of them so he always made coffee. He didn't know how to cook very much yet so he usually had to wait for some charitable person to come along and make something hot for him or else he had cereal. "Where is Angel?" "Your father is having a conversation with a man about a horse for the first time in a long time." "Whoa. We better get out of here before he gets out of there. If it's been in him that long the odor will challenge a skunk." "It shouldn't be too bad. I left a box of matches in there."

Cordelia and Connor had their breakfast and Cordelia had everything cleaned up by the time Angel came down. "You want some cold blood or do you want it warmed up?" "Cold please."

Cordelia handed him his blood and sat down with a cup of her tea. "How did it go?" She asked him. "I guess I was carrying a load cause I feel a lot lighter now." "Good then why don't we go shopping today. We have to pick up that Lap Top and get some real coats for this cold and the cold that we will get in Ireland. We also need at least one new cell phone that feeds off of a satellite so that we can have a hook up to our Web provider. Sr. Margaret's funeral is tomorrow and we have tickets for Ireland the day after. So lets get going." "Yes Mam." Angel answered in the most obedient way that he could because he knew it was useless to argue.

Just as Cordelia was going to yell for Connor he came down the stairs as though he had fallen down. Connor was holding his hand over his mouth. "Air, air, I need fresh air." Connor made his way through the front door and landed on the snow and acted like he was taking in great quantities of fresh air." Angel threw Connors coat at him as they exited the door. "Very funny. Now get your coat on or your walking to Ireland." Connor was laughing as he got into the back of the van.

As Angel started up the van Cordelia spoke up 'We will be having 3 passengers besides ourselves Angel. So drive back up to the front of the Convent please. Connor I forgot to tell you to sit in the front seat. When we stop get out and come and sit in the front. I think the sisters will feel a lot more comfortable with me sitting in the back with them.'

Angel pulled around to the front of the convent. In the front Dr. Martin was standing with two other sisters. He got out of the van and opened both sliding doors. He was surprised to see the old nun that greeted them and took their coats when they entered the convent. At one time she must have been as tall as Buffy but age, work and long hours of prayer had bent her spine. Her once strong hands were now swollen with rheumatoid arthritis and although she could barely walk she insisted that she be given something to do so she was given the job of greeting visitors. She only had a short distance to walk from her desk to the front door so her difficulties in walking was not a problem. Angel went up the steps to Sr. Cecil instead of her going down the steps to him since that would have been dangerous for her. "Angel, Cordelia and Connor this is Sr. Cecil and this is Sr. Pauline. They will be going with us today." Even though it was difficult for her Sr. Cecil managed to give a small curtsy to Angel. Angel took her hand and kissed it then picked her up. She giggled like a young girl when he did it. "Today Sr. Cecil you will be treated like you are a princes." She was so light that Angel thought that most of her weight must be from her habit. He took her to the other side of the van and placed her in one of the middle seats. He buckled her in than closed the door. He went back to the rest and greeted Sr. Pauline by kissing her hand. Sr. Pauline gave a deep curtsy to Angel. She was just a little older than Dr. Martin. They all recognized her as the one that brought the cart into the dining room every night.

Sr. Pauline and Cordelia sat in the back seat of the van and Dr. Martin sat in the seat next to Sr. Cecil. Connor had put Sr. Cecil's wheelchair in the back of the van. Angel and Connor got into the van than and they took off. Dr. Martin instructed him on where to go so that they could get the coats and clothes that they needed along with the Lap Top and Satellite cell phone. Angel let Cordelia take care of all of the purchases since he didn't know anything about these things. Sr. Cecil and Sr. Pauline where excited about their outing. It had been over 20 years since Sr. Cecil had been away from the convent. Sr. Pauline was a cook in the kitchen and only rarely went out. After purchasing everything that they needed Dr. Martin asked Angel to go to the local grocery store. She said she kept treats for the patients and the sisters in the convent hospital section and needed to replenish her supplies. While they were in the grocery store Angel and Cordelia left the little group for a little side trip to a flower shop. They ordered all of the white flowers of all kinds that they had or could buy from others. They were all to be delivered tonight at the convent. When they returned the sisters and Connor were waiting at the front of the store. "Look Angel, Sr. Cecil is so tired she's sleeping." Cordy said. "Yeah, we better get her home."

Angel pulled the van over to them. Connor picked up Sr. Cecil this time. She awoke as soon as he put his arms under her, he put her into the van and buckled her in and then put her wheel chair in the back. Cordy and Dr. Martin sat in the back this time and Sr. Pauline sat in the middle seat with the packages in between the two middle seats.

"Angel we have one more stop to make at a pharmacy that is close to the hospital." Dr. Martin said. "Yes Mam just tell me where to stop." Just before they turned down the road that led to the hospital and convent they came across a small shopping center. Next to the market was a pharmacy and this is the one that Dr. Martin told Angel to stop at. "Would you go in Angel and tell them that you are there to pick up a special order for Dr. Martin."

Angel was back in a few minutes with a rather large package. "Is that all the pills that I ordered?" "No, I mean your pills are in here but Cordy is craving chocolate and other things that she normally wouldn't let herself eat. But it's one of those 'Gotta have it' cravings if you know what I mean." He looked back and Cordelia pretended to be interested in something outside. Dr. Martin laughed and put her hand on Cordelia's. "That's okay Cordelia, your allowed during this time. Just wait until Angel starts craving something he shouldn't have."

By 4 P.M. Angel was pulling up to the front of the convent. Sr. Cecil had fallen asleep again but when he opened the door she woke up. "We're home Sr. Cecil." "Oh, already, I had so much fun today Angel. Thank you for allowing me to come along." "Sr. Cecil if you should want anything please don't hesitate to call me." Angel pulled his wallet out and gave her one of the Angel Investigation business cards. "Now remember if you should need anything, even if it's another bar of Hershey chocolate I want you to give me a call." He smiled at her. She had a sheepish look on her face as though she had been caught with her hands in the cookie jar. "Please don't tell anyone Angel. Sr. Mary bought it for me. She said Mother Superior told her too buy Sr. Pauline and I a treat since we only leave the convent grounds when we absolutely have to. I haven't been out in 20 years I think and the best thing of all is that I went along with you. All of the other Sisters will be green with envy." "You wouldn't hold that over them would you? A sweet holy woman like you. Why Sr. Cecil I am shocked." "It will give me something to talk about for the next year at least. Or until Mother Superior tells me to stop." "Why you little scamp." Angel unbuckled her seat belt and lifted her out of the van and took her to the steps where Connor had her wheel chair waiting for her. When Angel went to put her into the chair she stopped him. "No Angel I hardly ever use it in the convent. I'll walk from here." Angel put her on her feet and let her hold onto his arm as they walked in. Sr. Cecil took their coats from them and put them away. Why don't you go and have a seat in the waiting room and we will be back in 30 minutes. Dr. Martin let Sr. Cecil hang on to her arm while they walked to the main dinning room. Angel, Cordelia, and Connor went to the reception area to wait for dinner.

Angel went to the window to look at the snow. The driveway in front of the convent ran from the gate, to the guest house then to the front of the convent then around and back to the front gate. The hospital had a separate entrance. Last night they had, had a heavy snowfall but the temperature had risen to 40 degrees today and the snow had started to melt. Fortunately Connors snowman was sitting in the shade and was keeping its shape. He looked down at Hunters ring and twirled it around his finger.

"Let's go outside Cordy. I have Hunters ring and here I am looking at the outside from the inside as usual." Cordy got up and went with him to get their coats. They went for a walk around the driveway. He went over to a pile of snow and turned around and let himself fall backwards. "Come on Cordy lets make Snow Angels." He started to swing his arms and legs sideways to make the wings and skirt of the angel. Cordy came and did the same. Angel just laid there for awhile watching the clouds go by. He was mesmerized by the different shapes of the clouds. "I can't remember the last time I was able to do this Cordy. I guess it was over 250 years ago since that was the last time I could go out into the sun." "How do you feel about being out in the sunlight Angel?" "To tell you the truth I have lived in the darkness for so long I'm a little uneasy about being in the sun light. It feels weird, like I'm in a dream. Nothing seems natural to me." "Maybe that's Gods way of making sure that you will return to the darkness where you can fulfill your mission in life and I for one am glad that you feel that way. Now I only have to worry about the women of the night. I have to protect my property and the night will cloak my hunk of a husband."

"Hunk. Is that what you think of me?"

"Yes, but I am not the only one. That's what Dawn calls you too."

"So I can still draw the young girls to me. That's always nice to know." Angel stood up and helped Cordelia to get up. They stood and looked at their art work for awhile. Then Cordelia looked at her watch and saw that it was time to go back in. "Lets go Angel before Mom sends the troops out for us." They brushed the snow off of their coats and went back in. Connor wasn't in the reception area so they went right to the guest dining room and found everyone there. They gave their apologies and sat down.

Angel was surprised when Dr. Martin placed a large mug full of blood in front of him. He looked at it. It looked like blood but it had a slight brownish look to it and had some other things floating in it. The rest were having soup and sandwiches. "Try it Angel." Dr. Martin said when she saw the look on his face. Angel picked it up and sipped a tiny bit from it. "That is good. What's in it?" Angel drank some more as Dr. Martin served up the soup to everyone else. She gave him the ingredients as she started to have her own soup and sandwich. Sr. Pauline had cooked a small amount of lamb in a frying pan than took the meat out and added the blood, green onions, Steak Sauce and a ½ teaspoon full of brown sugar. When everything was warmed up she ground the cooked lamb than put it back in with the blood and let it cook for about 15 minutes." Dr. Martin gave the recipe to Cordelia. "I'll have to thank her the next time I see her."

"Angel and Connor would you take part in the funeral tomorrow by helping to carry Sr. Margaret's casket to the cemetery tomorrow? The casket will be loaded in the back of a limousine and we will follow it to our own cemetery that is in the back about ½ mile from the convent. Then you, Connor and a few other men will carry her to the grave site." Mother Superior said. "Mother Superior we would be honored?" "Okay, that's good. The mass will start at 10 A.M. tomorrow morning. Sr. Margaret's relatives arrived last night and they are staying at a Hotel in town." Mother Superior stood up then. Angel and Connor stood up also. "Angel, Cordelia and Connor there is a good chance that I won't be able to spend any time with you tomorrow and I understand that you leave the next day for Ireland so I am going to say my goodbyes now. I want to thank you for coming out to see Sr. Margaret at her request. You made her last few hours in this world very happy. I want you to know that your names and the names of the rest of your associates will be included in our daily prayers from now on. Now Angel would you kneel for me because your too tall for me to reach you." Angel kneeled in front of Mother Superior, she placed her hands on his head and gave a short prayer then gave him her blessing. She turned and gave Cordelia her blessing and kissed her on each cheek. Then she went to Connor and asked him to kneel also. She gave him her blessing then extended her hand. Connor kissed her hand and then stood up. "Goodnight everyone. Sr. Mary would you come with me for just a few moments?" Dr. Martin followed her out to the hallway for a few minutes than returned. She had a big grin on her face when she returned.

"Good news?" Angel asked. "Yes Angel, very good news. Connor would you give me that paper bag that is on the bottom of the cart please?" Connor reached down and grabbed the bag and handed it over to her. Dr. Martin reached in and pulled out all of the contents. She gave 2 large bottles to Cordelia and two even larger ones to Angel. "Cordelia these are your multi vitamins for your pregnancy. Take one twice each day. Angel those two large bottles are vitamins for you. We have been able to determine the mineral and vitamin equivalent to human blood. Start taking these twice a day. Cordelia if Angel is hurt give him at least two of these than two every 3 hours while he is recuperating. Angel I believe your body is starting to change towards human and that is why you are taking a long time to heal each time you are hurt. How long this will take only God knows, but in the mean time your body still needs human blood to survive. You should start to feel stronger once the vitamins start to work which will be in 1 to 2 weeks." She put the bottles back into the bag and gave it to Angel to carry. It's time for me to say goodnight for now. I have some patients to check on over at the rest home. They are starting to ask where Sr. Margaret is. They all got up then and walked over to the front door. Sr. Cecil was there as usual.

"Sr. Cecil we ordered a large amount of flowers to be delivered for the funeral tomorrow, but they are supposed to be delivered by tonight. Can you tell me if they have been delivered yet? "No Angel, no one has delivered flowers yet. I did get a call though from a florist asking me how late we were open. I told them that we lock the doors by 6 P.M.. They said they had a large order of flowers for us but that they wouldn't have them ready until 8 tonight so they would deliver the flowers at 8 in the morning. I told them that would be okay and then he hung up."

"That's good. If you need any help give me a call and Connor and I will come up and help you okay?" "Okay Angel. Thank you and goodnight." "Goodnight Sr. Cecil." Angel said as he joined Cordelia and Connor.

* * *

TBC.....................................


	3. Chapter 3

THE GIFT

Chapter 3 

Angel, Cordelia, and Connor were up and dressed for the funeral by 9 A.M.. Cordelia had bought new suits for both Angel and Connor yesterday. She had bought suits that were all black and styled exactly the same. The only difference would be the ties. Angels was a very expensive blue/silver silk colored tie while Connors was a silver/black colored tie.

Cordelia had a long black full dress on. Since she was starting to get a little tight around her waist she had chosen a dress where the fullness of the skirt came up to just underneath her breasts. The top part was close fitting and sleeveless. She wore a small deep blue long sleeved vest that closed just below her breasts. Although it wasn't required Cordelia had chosen to wear a large black scarf to put over her head during the funeral mass. Since they had to walk to the cemetery she had chosen sensible shoes that had only a 3/4 inch heal.

They walked up to the convent at 9:30 A.M.. There were already a lot of cars parked out at the front. Most of them were from Sr. Margaret's family. They saw one long limo that they presumed to be Dr. Martins friend John Williams. As they entered the front door little Sr. Cecil was there with another Sister. They curtsied to Angel, said good morning and took Angel, Cordelia, and Connors coat. Sr. Cecil then directed them to see the young novice at the entrance to the chapel.

When they came to the chapel doors they were greeted by a young novice. The young sister bowed to Angel and asked them to follow her. Dr. Martin had instructed the young sister to sit them in the second pew from the front. The young Novice had said that Sr. Mary would be joining them shortly.

All of the flowers that Angel and Cordelia had ordered had been delivered that morning. The alter and casket were draped with flowers of all kinds.

After a few minutes Dr. Martin joined them. "Why are we sitting so far to the front of the chapel?" Angel asked Dr. Martin.

"Sr. Margaret requested it." "Why?" Angel asked. "I can't say, but we are just following Sr. Margaret's wishes." Dr. Martin said.

They heard the priests that were going to perform the funeral mass gathering at the back. Mother Superior was with them along with the Secretary, Treasurer, Mistress of Novices, and Mistress of Postulants. Eight alter servers were lined up behind them than the Priests and apparently the Bishop of the diocese.

"Why so many priests and the Bishop?"Angel asked. "I thought they only came for someone like the head of the order."

"Angel Sr. Margaret was once head of the order, but poor health forced her to step down. Our Mother Superior and all of the important positions under her are voted in by all of the sisters. We have a lot of important people here because of their association with her when she was the Mother Superior."

The young novice that seated them came up the aisle and gave Angel a letter that was given to Mother Superior by Sr. Margaret with the instructions that it be given to him at the funeral. Angel opened the envelope while they waited for the mass to begin.

"Dear Angel. I gave instructions to Mother Superior to give you this envelope before my funeral began. Most of what is in here are instructions that were given to me by St. Michael. I also gave other envelopes to her with instructions that they were to be sent to each of your associates including Connor. Please let Cordelia read this also. Sr. Mary wrote all of these letters for me so she of course knows the content. (Angel pulled Cordelia closer to him and whispered to her to read the letter with him. When she caught up to where he was she said ok, then he continued.) When they start to give out the communion you are to go up and receive communion as well. Do not worry about Angelus. Do not be afraid. Our Savior is waiting for this to happen. Christ will take care of him. Leave it all in His hands. Angelus has been causing you too many problems even though he was commanded to do and not do certain things. Christ will be taking care of him. He will not exert any pressure on you and he will give you what you need from now on. Your St. Michael himself requested Christ to do this since he was constantly having to intervene and force Angelus to comply. The fact that Angelus is doing this shows everyone how strong he is and what you have been having to deal with. This is the "only" time that you are to receive communion until you are given your redemption.

Good bye Angel and Cordelia, and thank you for all of the flowers."

Sr. Margaret Carter

Cordelia looked up at him and smiled. She put her arm through his and leaned her head on his arm. Angel folded up the letter and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket. Angel looked up to the cross and gave a silent thank you. The music began then and the procession started up the middle aisle. By now Angel knew when to sit and when to stand for the different parts of the mass. Cordelia had found a small church in Hollywood that celebrated Sunday mass at 9 P.M. at night. This gave Angel the only opportunity that he had to fulfill his penance given by Fr. Barris. By now though Sunday mass was something that he looked forward to. Fred and Gunn had started going with Cordelia and Angel also.

When it came time for communion Angel stood with the rest. Cordelia wished she could take a picture of him. He had a grin on his face that almost went from ear to ear. Sr. Mary held on to his hand, like he was a little boy, as they made their way to the center. He followed Sr. Mary's example and genuflected then held out his hands to receive the host. Angel looked at it for a second than put it in his mouth and made the sign of the cross. As he walked back to the pew Connor stood to the side so they could enter the pew. This time though Angel let Cordelia go first so that he could easily exit the pew along with Connor so they could go to the coffin when the time came.

Angel kneeled and gave his prayer of thanks. He put his hands together, closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against his hands. Angel didn't know it but as each Sister passed in front of him they each genuflected and made the sign of the cross. Finally everyone had received communion and the priests sat down. Sr. Mary sat down so Angel and Cordelia did also. Angel was deep in thought so he didn't notice everyone, including the Bishop and priests, watching him. After 10 minutes the Bishop stood up and concluded the funeral mass. Angel, Connor and the other men that were going to carry the coffin stood up and went over to the coffin. They took their places along each side. The music began. Sr. Margaret had requested Ave Maria to be sung. When they got to the 2nd verse the Bishop gave the signal for the procession to the cemetery to start. Angel, Connor, John, and 3 men from Sr. Margaret's family put their hands on the casket and started to push the cart carrying it to the outside of the chapel. They had to pick the casket up though when it was time to go down the steps to the waiting hearse. The only people that did not walk were those that were to old to make the long walk. All of the others walked behind the hearse to the grave site. All those patients that were able to attend came in wheelchairs that were being pushed by aids and nurses.

At the entrance to the cemetery the hearse stopped at the gate and the men took the casket out. They carried it slowly to the burial site and placed it over the grave then stepped back. Usually, because of the Sisters vow of poverty they were all buried in plain pine box caskets, but since Sr. Margaret had been the head of the order at one time they had bought a beautiful casket with white silk material lining the inside of the casket. Thirty minutes later the funeral was over and everyone returned to the convent.

Lunch was served in the main dining room. Of course the Bishop sat at a table with Mother Superior and the rest of Sr. Margaret's family. The Bishop exchanged pleasantries with the family and gave his condolences. As soon as the Bishop had the opportunity he asked Mother Superior who the man was that was sitting with Sr. Mary Martin. "I saw all of the Sisters bowing or genuflecting in front of him. Who is he that they would do that?"

"That is Angel Martin. He is a distant cousin of Sr. Mary. At Sr. Margaret's and Sr. Mary's request we offer our mass everyday for him." Mother Superior was hoping that he wouldn't ask anymore questions because as her superior she would have to answer him truthfully.

"But Mother that still doesn't answer as to why the good Sisters were all bowing and genuflecting to him." The Bishop asked more earnestly this time. "Let me go and ask some of the Sisters Monseigneur." Mother Superior got up and walked to one of the tables of sisters that was all the way to the back and in a corner where they would be less likely to be heard. She pulled a chair over to the table and sat down.

"Sisters the Monseigneur is asking me why all of the Sisters that walked in front of Angel either genuflected or bowed before him as they went by him."

"Mother didn't you see the white mist around him again? Even though we didn't see Him we all felt as though Christ was with him or in him. We don't know exactly how to explain it but we all felt the presence of Christ in the chapel and His presence seemed to surround Angel." One of the Sisters answered.

"Thank you Sisters." Mother Superior got up and went to Angels table. She whispered something to Sr. Mary.

"Angel we need to talk over in the guest dining room." Mother Superior, Sr. Mary and Angel all left the room to go to the guest dining room.

"What's going on?" Angel asked. "Angel after you received communion the Sisters saw a white mist surrounding you, Cordelia and Connor again. They said that they could sense the presence of Christ in the Chapel and the presence seemed to surround you."

"Yes, He was with me. He was having a few words with Angelus at St. Michael's request." Angel answered.

"Angel the Bishop is questioning why the Sisters were bowing before you as they passed in front of you." Sr. Mary said. "I know and I wish they would stop that. I'm nobody special. I'm just a very old Vampire with a soul that happens to have St. Michael as his guardian." Angel said as he walked back and forth in front of the Sisters.

At the back by the door they heard a mans voice replying. "Of course what else could you possibly be you old crow bait." Angel looked up and the Sisters turned around at the sound of the Bishops voice. Angel stared at him for a minute. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't place the face. Then it dawned on him. "Jack? Jack O'Connel?" Angel said inquiringly. "Who else you old Bat Wanna Be." Angel and the Bishop went to each other and hugged and patted each other on the back. Mother Superior and Sr. Mary were so shocked by what just happened that you could have knocked them over with a feather.

"I see you finally made Bishop just like you always wanted. How have you been?" "Doing okay as you can see." He patted his stomach. Angel laughed and gave him a light punch in the stomach. "I didn't want to say anything."

Mother Superior cleared her throat. "I take it you two are old acquaintances?" "I am sorry Mother, please forgive me, yes we are old friends. Jack and I met when he was still a seminarian. He made the mistake of walking in the park late at night and a group of teenage vampires were going to make a midnight snack of him. He was lucky I came along and saved his worthless hide." "Yeah but that last demon that was hiding came up behind you and almost split you in half. If it wasn't for me you would have turned to dust when the sun came up. He was unconscious for an hour. When he finally came to I helped him to the basement of the seminary dorm and took care of him for the next day or so. I was amazed at how fast he healed." "Yeah but in order to heal I needed blood and since you didn't know how to get any for me you gave me your blood and for that I will be forever in your debt."

"I think for now though I should hear Mother Superiors explanation as to what is going on here." Jack O'Connel said.

"Is anyone else hungry cause I am. I am going to go and get something to eat and I'll let Sr. Mary explain what has been happening with me and why I am the Boss's favorite right now. When your done you can come down to the Guest House and well have a couple of beers. You can meet my wife and son. I'm sorry Dr. Martin but I need to drink some blood. I haven't had any since yesterday and I am starting to feel a little weak."

Dr. Martin looked at Angel closely. Like a mother does when she is trying to figure out if her son is telling her a fib or not. "Angel look me in the eye and tell me that your not going to go and eat the rest of Cordelia's chocolate." Angel started squirming. "Okay, okay it's true she is craving that last Hershey chocolate bar and I am to and I just have to have it." Dr. Martin reached into her pocket and pulled out a Hershey chocolate bar and threw it to him. "Be a good husband now and leave that last chocolate bar for your poor pregnant wife. Angel had almost made it out the door before Dr. Martin had caught on to what he was doing. Without Angel realizing it he had put on his vampire face and he stared at the chocolate bar like it was blood. Mother Superior gasped in fright. When Angel heard her he realized what he had done and changed back.

"It's okay Mother Superior, it's okay. Cordelia's hunger for the chocolate is just as strong as his hunger for blood."

Angel sat down and started eating the chocolate bar. Unfortunately Cordelia sensed it through the link that Angel was eating chocolate. She came running to the guest dining room.

"You have a Hershey's chocolate bar don't you?" Angel turned away and shoved the last piece in his mouth. When he turned back to her he said "No dear, what made you think I had a Hershey's chocolate bar?" Cordelia came to him slowly. As she bent forward he bent backward. "You liar. I can smell it on your breath and there is this evidence also." Cordelia ran her finger over the corner of his mouth and held it up in front of him. "Oh..... that chocolate." Angel said. "You dirty rat, you knew I was craving it and here you are having some and you don't even share it with me. Where did you get it from?" "Dr. Martin." Angel squirmed under Cordelia's questioning. "I don't suppose you have another one?" "Sorry Cordelia that was the only one." Cordelia sat down and started crying. This, of course, had the affect on Angel that Cordelia wanted. She was going to make him pay for not sharing the chocolate bar.

Angel stood up and went to Cordelia. "I'm sorry Cordy, but you know how bad your cravings get and it affects me in the exact same way. I'm sorry, I'll go and get you a whole box of Hershey chocolate bars. The king size ones okay? Please don't cry anymore you know how it hurts me to see you cry." Angel was kissing her hands and begging for forgiveness. While he was doing that Cordelia had her head turned away and towards the rest. She gave them a wink which let them know that it was an act. Mother Superior felt sorry for Angel and reached in her pocket and pulled out one. "It just so happens that I have one Cordelia." She threw it to Cordelia across the table. She caught it as it almost fell over the side of the table and into Angels lap. "Oh Mother Superior you a life saver." She sat down and immediately started to eat it. Angel cracked up. "What's so funny?" Dr. Martin asked. "It's Cordelia, when she gets something that she is craving she purrs like a kitten."

Bishop O'Connel looked at his watch. "Well this has been fun but I have to get going. Angel how much longer will you be here?" "We leave for Ireland tomorrow for 2 weeks then well be coming home. How about if I change our flight and stop over for one day?" "Oh no you don't we have to get home. We have to get started on the nursery. Don't forget that all of Connors stuff got burned so we have to start from the very bottom." "Yes dear. Sorry Jack, as you can see I also have another new boss." "Yeah but your loving every second of it." "Yes I am. Why don't you come out to Los Angeles to visit us?" "I just may be able to do that. I have 2 weeks of vacation coming up. I'll see what I can do." Jack turned around and looked at Mother Superior and Sr. Mary. "I'll see you two later. My secretary will call you with an appointment. By the way sisters let's keep this miracle quiet so that we can give Angel his privacy." They all walked out to the front door and said good bye. The Bishop and Angel hugged again. John was just coming out to get his coat when he saw the Bishop come out into the hallway.

"Angel I haven't been able to introduce you to our friend John Williams. John this is Angel Martin my cousin. Angel this is John Williams." Without even giving it a second thought John pulled back and hit Angel as hard as he could. Angel went flying and John grabbed the Bishop by the arm and pulled him through the door. "Let's go Monseigneur." Jack looked at everyone questioningly. "Go ahead Monseigneur, I think I know what it is about. Angel will be fine. He has a very thick skull." Sr. Mary said.

Angel sat up rubbing his jaw. "What was that about? I didn't even get a chance to say hello."

"Let's go into the dinning room and I'll explain. By the way it's a good thing that you and the Bishop are old acquaintances. It will be a lot easier for Mother Superior to explain what was going on with you and why you where here." Sr. Mary said as she ushered them back into the dinning room.

"I'm going to get something to eat first. I'm hungry." Angel said as he got up again. "Me too." Cordy said as she followed him to the banquet table. Sr. Mary and Connor followed them. Angel took several slices of roast beef and covered it with the juice from the roast. Next he grabbed a large slice of Chocolate cake. Cordelia had pretty much the same thing except she added salad to the roast beef and took a smaller slice of cake but she did scrap off more of the frosting from the rest of the cake and put it on her slice then poured a small amount of milk onto it. Connor made a large sandwich for himself then a large slice of cake like Angel had done. He saw what Cordelia had done and tried it with his cake. Sr. Mary took some salad and a small slice of cake and followed them back to their table. They all sat in silence for a moment while they ate.

"Okay, now that we have satisfied Mary Kathleen what was all that with your friend?" Angel asked as he finished off his cake.

"John is jealous of my relationship with you. He has been in love with me for a long time. Of course as a nun I was untouchable. I have discussed with him my dilemma as to whether I should leave the convent or not and as to why I was considering it and where I would be moving to if I do leave." Sr. Mary continued to finish off her chocolate cake now that she had given an explanation for Johns behavior.

It was difficult for Angel to not tell her what Sr. Margaret had told him. He wanted to tell her so bad that he was almost feeling sick.

"That still doesn't explain why he hit me though." Angel said as he rubbed his chin again. "For a human he sure packs a wallop."

"He sees you as the one that is taking me away from him. So the power behind that punch was fueled by his hatred of you for taking me away from him." "Do you have any feelings for him?" Cordelia asked. She had stopped eating her cake even though she still had half left and was just listening to Sr. Mary.

"I love John as a friend but nothing else. Besides which John is 8 years younger then me. Such marriages rarely work out when the woman is....." Sr. Mary stopped talking when she saw Cordelia starting to get a little pale. "Cordelia are you alright?" Dr. Mary asked. "I think that nice chocolate cake is going to be making a reappearance." She jumped up and ran to the bathroom that was in the hallway. She almost didn't make it to the bathroom before all of her lunch came back up.

"When did Cordelia eat last Angel?" "This morning around 8 A.M.. We all had something to eat." "Did you notice if she had her herbal tea?" Angel thought about it for a minute. "Connor do you remember seeing her drink her tea?" "No I don't think she did." Connor answered after thinking about it for a minute.

"But she never gets sick after eating, it's always before." Angel said, but he knew it was the morning sickness because he felt the need to go to the bathroom as well. "Is their another bathroom that I can use down here?" "No, you will have to go outside." Angel went running out of the door. "Go and take care of your father Connor and I'll take care of Cordelia. It's going to hit them harder because their stomachs were full this time." Connor got up and went outside and Sr. Mary went into the bathroom to check on Cordelia. She could hear her still throwing up so she just left her alone. Ten minutes later Cordelia came out of the stall. She rinsed her mouth out and Sr. Mary gave her a cold compress for her head. They went out of the bathroom and Sr. Mary got their coats from the closet. "Lets get you home Cordelia. You need to get as much rest as you can. It's been a long day for you and it will be another long day tomorrow. Don't tell Angel but Mother Superior has given me permission to join you on your trip to Ireland." Cordelia managed to give her a smile as they went out of the door.

Connor and Angel were just coming back to the driveway. Angel was holding a handful of snow against his forehead and holding onto Connors arm. When he saw the women he let go and straightened his back. He didn't want anyone to see him in such a sad state. They joined Cordelia and Sr. Mary in the driveway. Angel grabbed onto Cordelia's hand. "We're a sad looking pair."

Cordelia managed a smile for him. "I'm sorry I forgot to drink my tea this morning." "That's okay baby, we didn't need that chocolate cake anyway. I would have had to put in a lot of hours in a gym just to use up those calories. This is a lot easier." He gave her a kiss on her forehead and they all walked back to the guest house. Connor started a fire in the fireplace in the living room and their bedroom. When he was done Sr. Mary took Cordelia upstairs and helped her get undressed and into bed. "Before I leave Cordelia I am going to make something for you to eat and leave it in the refrigerator. You'll wake up later and feel hungry. So eat the food then have your tea. I am going to go and make you some tea right now that I want you to drink. It's only going to be a small amount so you don't have to worry about overdosing on it. I had the tea checked Cordelia and it's all okay. There is nothing dangerous in it but you can overdose on it."

Just as she was about to leave Angel came up with some of her tea. "That link sure comes in handy." Sr. Mary took the tea from Angel and gave it to Cordelia. "Remember what I said now, only take a few sips." Cordelia did as she was told than gave it back to her.

Angel got into bed along side of Cordelia. "Why do I feel worse this time than when I get sick on an empty stomach?" Cordelia asked Sr. Mary.

"Because your stomach has a lot more to push back up. Don't worry about it though what happened is natural. A lot of women do the same thing during their pregnancy. It's like Angel said though, you really didn't need that chocolate cake. Don't forget that old saying "A minute on the lips forever on the hips." Go to sleep now. I'll come and see you later tonight." She bent down to fix her covers and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Cordelia sat up and hugged her. Sr. Mary sat back down again.

"Thank you for being Angels mom. A girl needs another woman around at a time like this, especially during her first pregnancy. I don't know what I would do without you. My own mother would never do anything like this for me. Thank you." Cordelia let Sr. Mary go then and wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. Sr. Mary pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to her to blow her nose. "The pleasure is all mine Cordelia." She took her handkerchief back and put it in her pocket than gave Cordelia a kiss on her forehead again and left the room.

This little session with Cordelia helped Sr. Mary to make up her mind. When she came back from Ireland she would submit her request to Mother Superior to be excused from her vows. She felt a lot lighter as she walked back up to the convent. The decision had been weighing heavily on her mind ever since she came back from California. She was glad that she had finally made her decision. She wanted to get back to the hospital so that she could call her lawyer and let him know what she was going to be doing and where she would be for the next 2 weeks. The 2 new sisters were working out just fine and they would be able to take over her patients without any problem. Sr. Rosalind was a good psychiatrist and she felt comfortable leaving her psychiatric patients with her.

Later that night after all of the guests had left and she helped the other sisters clean up Sr. Mary asked Sr. Pauline to make that special lamb mixture that she had made for Angel a couple of nights ago. When it was done she took it down to the guest house. She found that everyone was up and sitting in front of the fireplace and watching TV.

"Don't you all look like a typical American family. How are you feeling now Cordelia? A lot better?" "Yes I do feel a lot better and now I am getting hungry. How about you Angel. Getting hungry yet?" Cordelia asked as she got up. "Yeah, is their any blood left in the fridge?" Angel said. "It just so happens that I have Sr. Pauline's special right here." "The lamb special?" Angel asked. Sr. Mary gave the towel wrapped jar to Angel. It was still nice and warm and he opened it and drank half of it right away. "That is so good. If Sr. Pauline would write up that recipe for me I would really appreciate it."

Cordelia came back in with a tray of the food that Sr. Mary had left and some hot chocolate for Connor and Sr. Mary. Jeopardy was on so they sat for awhile just watching it and coming up with what they thought the answers were. Of course Angel always came up with the right answers since he lived through more than 250 years of history.

"I'm going back now. I have some things to do tonight before I go to bed. When are you going to be leaving Angel?" "We better leave by 6 A.M. tomorrow morning in order to get their in time. Did you give Cordelia our passports?" Angel asked as he got up from the floor where he was sitting. "Yes she has everything. I will say goodnight now and I'll see you tomorrow morning. Connor would you walk me back please?" "Sure Grandma."

Sr. Mary had really wanted to talk to Connor. "Connor I am going to be going with you tomorrow. Mother Superior gave me permission to take a 2 week vacation with all of you to Ireland." Connor was literally jumping for joy he was so happy. "Now I can have someone to talk to while those 2 are carrying on in their major love festival. You can teach me how to play poker to." "Okay that's a deal. Tomorrow make sure that Angel drives up to the convent. He doesn't know yet but Cordelia does." They had arrived at the front doors of the convent. Sr. Mary said goodnight and went inside. Connor was so happy that he gave out a loud howl then ran back to the guest house. When he went in he found Cordelia was laying on the floor in front of the fireplace and among several pillows and a blanket. Angel was sitting on the floor and leaning against the couch while watching the weather station to see how the weather was going to be in Ireland tomorrow. By the time they arrived it would be sunny but cold. The temperature would be around 40.

Connor came over and sat next to Angel. It was then that he noticed that he had Cordelia's feet in his lap and was massaging them. Connor sat in silence for awhile then he said "Dad, do you think I will ever be lucky enough to find someone to love me like Cordy loves you?"

"Connor if a man like me can find such love after all that I have been through then you can certainly find it also."

"Actually I'm not really in love with him. I just act like I do so I can have his beautiful sexy body make love to me." Cordelia sat up then and gave Angel a kiss. She whispered in his ear "I'm hungry Angel. Lets go upstairs." She pulled him up after her. "You mean you were awake all this time?" Angel asked. "No, I woke up just when Connor started talking. When your this close to me the link comes in loud and clear. I don't know how to block it." Cordelia started to pull him upstairs. "Your going to wear me out woman. No Vampire special for you tonight though." "Aw come on Angel, I probably won't feel like having sex pretty soon. Please, please, please." "I'll do it if you do something for me." Angel said. They were at the top of the stairs by now. Cordelia put her back to the door and put her hand on the door knob which prevented him from opening it. "And what would that be?" "I want you to dress up like you were today then do your striptease like you did on our wedding night. Then who knows what may happen tonight." Angel nuzzled her neck and kissed it then lightly bit her ear and pulled on it. Cordelia melted under his careful attention to everything he did to her. Every time he made love to her it was like the first time. He never became complacent. With each kiss to each square inch of her skin it was like it was a new discovery for him and he treated it as such. He worshiped her from micro second to micro second.

"Come into my chamber said the spider to the fly." Cordelia said as she opened the door. She went over to the chair and picked up her clothes that Sr. Mary had draped over it as she helped her to get undressed and into bed. Cordelia left Angel standing in the middle of the room with the bathroom light bathing his body. She closed the door and quickly took a shower. She got dressed and made herself look as pretty as she could manage here in the small mirror over the sink.

Cordelia turned the light off before opening the door and re-entering the bedroom. Angel had built the fire up again so that it threw more light into the room. He had put his suit on again and was sitting on the edge of the bed just like he had on their wedding night. His jacket was unbuttoned and his bow tie hanging down. Angel put a tape into the radio that had a cassette player in it. To Cordelia's surprise it was the ever classical striptease music. She almost busted out laughing then decided to play the part to the hilt. Angel had moved the furniture away and cleared the center of the room.

Cordelia walked to the center of the room just like Natalie Wood did in the movie Gypsy which was the story of Gypsy Rose Lee who was a famous stripper during the days of Vaudeville. The difference was that Gypsy never really exposed herself to people she just more or less taunted the men. Since Angel had the tape on Cordelia had to do her act faster than she had done on their wedding night. By the time the tape was over she was down to her black laced panties and she struck a pose as the ending of her act. Angel had left the drapes open to the balcony and the moon light struck her just right. Angel could see the slight roundness to her once flat stomach. For some reason that turned Angel on even more than the striptease. He went to her, picked her up and put her on the bed and proceeded to take his own clothes off. Cordelia stopped him and pointed over to the center of the room then rewound the tape and turned it on. Angel did as she ordered and played his part. But he went to the drawer and pulled out another tape and put it into the tape player. It was a slower beat so that he could take it off more slowly. He was kidding around at first but then he got more serious. He took his jacket off and carefully put it over the chair. His white shirt and tie came off next. Next his pants came off and he stood before Cordelia with his black silk boxer shorts on. Cordelia had been laughing so hard that her mouth hurt. He bent down and pulled her up so that he could take her panties off and Cordelia took his shorts off.

"Did you know that your starting to show now?" In between his kisses she answered him. "Yes, my pants are getting a little tight. It won't be long before I have to start getting maternity clothes." Angel started getting more turned on as she talked about maternity clothes. He used to be able to feel her hip bones but now she was becoming more rounded and they were now hidden beneath her pregnancy. Cordelia could feel him starting to get more aroused. She pushed him down on the bed and straddled him. She took his hand and rubbed it across her stomach. He stopped moving his hand and kept it on her stomach as he became very still and quiet. He was concentrating on listening to the sound of his daughters heartbeat. Through the link Kathleen's parents shared they both listened to her heartbeat.

"Her heartbeat is getting stronger." Angel said. "Kathleen will be as strong as her brother. She will inherit everything that Connor did." Cordelia said as she bent down and kissed him. "How do you know that?" Angel asked in between kisses. "Sr. Margaret told me. She said that she would grow up to be a tom boy but that I would turn her into a beautiful princes as she went through her teen years, and no man would be able to resist her, just like her Mommy."

"Close your eyes and ears Mary Kathleen because your Daddy wants to make love to your Mommy now."

Angel and Cordelia spent the next hour making passionate love. When he had finally let them climax he fell to the side and pulled her closer to him. "Tomorrow night we'll be sleeping in the land that I was born in. My lovely green Ireland. When I was at the lowest level that I could exist in I would sustain myself with thoughts of my birthplace. I would dream of Kathleen and taking her for a ride on my horse to the seaside where we would have a picnic. You'll love it there Cordy. I rented a house for us to stay in while we are there." He kissed her on her forehead and they went to sleep in each others arms as they often did after making love. Angel thought to himself "Making love, that saying was never so true as when I make love to her, because each time that I do it I love her more and more. He wanted to start again but he knew they had to get up in 6 hours to get ready to leave so he satisfied himself with just a kiss and he fell asleep.

At 4:30 the next morning the alarm that Cordelia had set the night before went off. She reached over him to turn it off. Angel was still asleep so she got up and took a quick shower to wash herself after a night of making love. It was nice while it was happening but she was always eager to clean up the next morning. She had her back turned to the shower door when she heard it open and Angel walked in. He put his arms around her and put his hands on her breasts. She straightened up and put her hands on his. She hadn't washed her hair yet so he grabbed the shampoo and started to wash her hair. They quickly bathed after that so that they could pack to leave.

Angel got dressed right away and went to check on Connor to see if he was up yet. He knocked on the door. "Connor are you up yet?" "I'm down here dad. I have breakfast ready." Connor yelled upstairs. "We'll be down in a few minutes." Angel went back to his room and helped Cordy to pack. Angel put the fire out and they took one last look around and picked up their luggage and went downstairs.

"Wow Connor you mean you actually made scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee. Thank you." Cordy and Angel sat down at the table and watched Connor get everything together and serve them. He had warmed up a mug of blood for Angel and gave it to him with some toast that he liked to dunk in the blood. By 5:30 Connor had the kitchen cleaned up and had served Cordelia her tea. He made sure that he put the rest of the herbs in Cordelia's bag that she would be taking on the plane. Angel was already starting to put the bags in the back of the van when they came out. "Let's go you 2. Do you have all of our passports and tickets Cordy?" "Yes sir right here." She patted her bag then got into the front passenger seat. Connor opened the side door behind Cordelia and got in. "Angel, make sure you stop at the convent for Mom." Angel started up the van and pulled up to the front of the convent. Sr. Mary was standing out in the front with 2 bags. One large and the other small, just like when she had entered the Hotel Hyperion 6 months ago. She was dressed in an all black pant suite and white blouse and her hair was up in a bun at the back of her head.

Angel jumped out of the van. "And where are you going Sr. Mary?" "Stop that and come and get my suitcases, I can tell you know exactly where I am going." Angel had a big grin on his face. "Connor come and get Sr. Mary's luggage it's starting to rain." Connor ran up the stairs and gave Sr. Mary a kiss then grabbed the bags and loaded them into the van. Angel put his arms under Sr. Mary and carried her to the van. "Angel I can walk you know. I'm not that old." Angel put her in the seat behind him then climbed into the front and took off. When they got on the main road Angel broke the silence. "Mom." "Yes Angel." "You have done so much for me that I can't even begin to thank you. But I need for you to do one more thing for me." "And what is that?" "I want you to let me do things for you. I don't want you to protest when I do things for you. I want you to except these things with just a smile and a thank you. Let me express my happiness at having you with me and to show my love for you without any protest. Can you do that for me from now on?" Dr. Martin was quiet for awhile.

"Angel you have to understand that I have taken care of and attended to the needs of others for so long that I have a hard time in letting others do for me. But if you'll be patient with me I will do my best to except what ever you have to give." She put her hand on his shoulder. He reached up and took hold of hers. "Thank you." Angel said as he turned and kissed her hand.

"Would you all do a favor for me now?" Sr. Mary asked. "Your very wish is my command my lady." Angel asked. "We have just enough time to pray the rosary before we arrive at the airport."

"Whenever you want to begin go ahead." "Wait a minute I am just learning this and I don't know the prayers by heart yet." Connor said. Angel reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small book with all of the appropriate prayers. He handed it to Connor. "This is what I used when I was relearning the prayers. You can have it. Cordy has one that we use when we say the rosary together since we usually read each mystery as well when we do it together." "Thank you." Connor said as he took it from Angel. "Go ahead mom." Angel said. Dr. Martin started by making the sign of the cross and began with the first prayer. By the time they were done they were pulling into the small airport. Angel dropped everyone off at the front entrance then left to take the van back to the rental station. He was back in 15 minutes.

They made it to the loading gate with 30 minutes to spare. "Anyone want coffee while we wait?" Angel asked. Everyone responded with a yes. He went with Connor over to a stand that was selling drinks and snacks. He ordered 3 decaffeinated coffees and grabbed some Hershey candy bars and picked up a bunch of packets of sugar and cream. Connor ordered a hot chocolate and grabbed a magazine and a couple of candy bars. When he returned they could see their plane being loaded with the luggage. In another few minutes they were boarding the plane. It was another small plane so Angel took the single seat and Connor sat by Cordy again. Dr. Martin sat in a single seat in front of Angel. Connor did a lot better this time since he was in an aisle seat the whole time.

The flight went very smoothly and they were in Boston within 30 minutes. In another 30 minutes they were finally on their way to Ireland. Angel was starting to get excited. Cordelia settled down to take a nap as did Dr. Martin. Connor was reading his magazine and listening to music. They started an in flight movie so he settled down to watch it. It was a new one that had just come out a week ago. Half way through it Angel fell asleep also.

* * *

TBC..........


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to all that have sent me reviews. I can't begin to tell you how good it makes me feel.

Thank you especially to Raph, I completed this Chapter just before I received your review. I went over it again and tried to use your advice. If you find a section where I need improvement please let me know and give me the specific location so I can better understand what you are talking about. Your advice was very clear but sometimes you can't see what is right in front of your nose. I am almost done with Chapter 5 and will be adding it soon also. I had some checking to do on locations in Ireland and dates so the posting of Chapter 4 took a little longer.

The Gift

Chapter 4

"I'm home, I'm home. My beautiful Ireland. It's been so long." Angel picked up Cordelia and twirled her around. They had just landed an hour ago and it had taken all this time just to go through customs. Angels accent had started to come back once he started hearing the natives speak. They walked over to the car rental office after picking up their luggage. Angel had once again reserved a mini van for them. They had landed in Dublin and they had a ways to go to get to Galway which was the nearest town to where Angel was born.

"Why can't we stay in Dublin for a couple of days to do some sightseeing?" Cordelia had asked. "For one thing our reservations are for tonight in Galway. Secondly I don't want to take any chances with everyone's safety. It doesn't happen that often but if you recall they still have a war going on here and every once in awhile you hear on the news about a bombing. The further we get away from the cities the more comfortable I will feel young lady. Keep yourself busy by checking the map they gave us at the rental service and make sure I am going the right way. The last time I was here they didn't have all of these roads and I certainly didn't travel in this much luxury." Angel told Cordelia as he handed her the map. "I don't suppose you have a container of blood in your bag Cordy?" "It just so happens that I do have exactly that. Are you real hungry or just a little hungry?" Cordy asked as she started to rummage through her bag. "I am real hungry." Cordelia finally pulled out the large thermos for him and poured some into a cup. Angel drank it down in one gulp and Cordy poured him some more until it was all gone. "That's it for that container my dear. I have the small one filled also but that's for tonight."

"For the next several days Angel you won't have to worry about where you are going to get your blood because the cook gave me several jars of her specialty. It's wrapped in dry ice for now." Dr. Martin said. "I'll have to send her a thank you gift. That was awfully nice of her."

Angel said. They traveled on a little longer and just watched the scenery.

After awhile Connor spoke up. "Grandma, why did all of the sisters curtsy or bow to Angel every time they met him or walked by him at the funeral?"

"I asked some of them about that. They said Angel has gone through so much suffering in his life that they compare him to a saint. Many of our saints suffered terribly for their faith. Since he can't die, except for certain ways, he has suffered more than even St. Peter and the rest of the Apostles put together. The way some of them were killed was worse then what he has gone through but once they died their suffering was over where as your father remains in this world and suffers over, and over, and over again. Some have told me that they equate his suffering with what we make Christ go through every time we sin. It is for that suffering that they have a great deal of respect for him." They were all silent for awhile after Dr. Martin was done.

"I never thought of what he goes through like that. It's kind of like what Fr. Barris says hell is like. You never get to rest from your suffering because it happens over and over again so that your suffering is constant." Connor said as he stared at his fathers back.

"When we are close to greatness we usually don't see it. Since we see them all of the time we often don't realize how special a person is. We just take them for granted. That is why St. Michael and God wanted to give him some happiness. They figured that he had earned it. That is why he was given Cordelia and now the child she carries, your little sister."

"But the way Wes and the Sunnydale gang talks they said that they were surprised when Angel fell in love with Cordelia since he was so much in love with Buffy at one time." Connor said.

"Because of Doctor patient confidentiality I can't say why it was impossible for Angel to be with Buffy but I can say why he is with Cordelia. It's because Cordelia loves Angel unconditionally. She has known from the start what he is. She has seen him at his worst and yet she still loves him. Most of all though I think God and St. Michael knew that Angel needed someone that was strong enough to walk beside him and not above him where she would judge him or constantly question whether her love for him was right or not. Emotionally, Cordelia is a very strong person, she isn't actually a leader but a very strong person to have beside you and supporting you. Haven't you ever thought about why it is that when she says some thing has to be done a certain way or handled a certain way and you all just automatically do what she says?" "Well that's because all the things about the hotel and basically home are all kind of under her jurisdiction, she's the boss there. Besides, Wes says that if we don't do what she says she has her own demon that comes out and takes control and he said you don't every want to see that demon because its almost worse then Angelus and that's why even Angelus is afraid of Cordelia."

"What is this demons name?" Dr. Martin asked with as serious an expression as she could.

"Wes said it's name is Queen C. Wes said that he has seen it come out and take control of her many times. He said he has even seen Angel bow before it."

"Have you ever seen this Queen C?" Dr. Martin asked Connor. "No, I've never actually seen it but when you wanted to talk to Angelus Cordelia was able to tease him and make him mad at her." Dr. Martin had been leaning forward with her hands together while talking to Connor. She was trying very hard not to laugh, she leaned back and looked like she was trying to think about how to handle this.

"Connor I've noticed how you have changed from the fiery young man that was angry and argumentative about almost everything. You were defiant about almost everything. I've also noticed that you have made almost a 360 degree turnaround. Now you are eager to get to know your father and don't seem to hate him anymore but instead your love for him is growing and most of all you respect him. You also have decided to go to school and of your own accord you have started taking lessons from Fr. Barris so that you can join the Catholic Church more fully. Most of all you seem to be a much happier person. Am I not correct in all of this?"

"Yes I have changed." Connor answered.

"What do you think about that person that you used to be?" Dr. Martin asked.

Connor thought about it for awhile. He gazed out at the beautiful landscape that became greener as they got close to the ocean. "I think that now that I am able to look back at that person I think he wasn't a very nice person. I think he was very self centered and mad at the world for what had happened to him and he took it out on everyone around him, especially Angel."

Dr. Martin put her hands on Connors and he looked up into her eyes. "Connor you made a tremendous leap forward in growing up. No one talked to you about it you just did this of your own volition. I think that you will be an excellent leader when it comes time to take over from your father. I am very proud of you." Dr. Martin leaned forward and hugged Connor. When she finally let go of him she could see how much it meant to him that she said this. "Let me get back to the original reason for this conversation. What you were back then is a different person. You made such an astonishing leap forward that you can pretty much talk about yourself as though that person was someone else. Connor that is what happened to Cordelia. Something happened to her that made her realize the person she was when she was in high school wasn't a very nice person. While she was in high school her nick name was Queen C. She was proud of that name and she even had it as her licence plate. But as you can see she has become a person that is not only beautiful on the outside but beautiful on the inside as well. But I think when you get home she will probably let Queen C out when she has a few words with Wesley." Angel and Cordelia were laughing at that statement. Connor heard them as well.

"What were you like back then Cordelia that Wesley would call Queen C a demon?" Connor asked as he rested his chin on his hand.

"I was a nasty bitch. I said what I wanted and to whoever I wanted to say it to. I had no concern whatsoever as to whether I was hurting anyone's feelings or not. As far as I was concerned it was the truth and it was my duty to say it. I used to tear down Wesley a lot. I called him all kinds of things from a Man Wanna Be to Miss Priss. I guess what I said to people was pretty funny because when I went to confession to Fr. Barris I actually had him laughing." Everyone was laughing now. "Well anyway if I'm not careful sometimes Queen C comes out. Angel has had to tell me to lay off more than once. I guess you can say that we monitor each other and maybe that was another reason why they matched us up together."

Cordelia reached over and put her hand on Angels arm. Angel looked at her with nothing but pure love for her. "Hey you two, didn't you get enough of that last night. Lets leave the driver alone before we get in an accident." Connor said as he looked at Dr. Martin with a grin.

"Don't tell me you heard us?" Cordelia said. She was starting to blush a little.

"No not this time, but I did hear what you said to Angel as you got up from the floor last night. You forget Cordelia that I inherited my fathers hearing. Anyway, so that I wouldn't have to listen to you two I slept downstairs in front of the fire. I swear you two do it so much that I am going to get a banner that says 'If The House is Rocking Don't Bother Knocking.'" Connor and Dr. Martin had a good laugh at Angel and Cordelia's expense.

"That's okay Angel, they're just jealous."

It was starting to get dark now and they were starting to enter the outskirts of Galway.

"Cordy how do I get to the Galway Inn?" Cordy looked at the instructions on the Galway Inn map. "If you stay on this road we should come up to it pretty soon. It says that it's right on the main road and on the north side of Galway. I am so glad were almost there. I am so tired."

"What time is it here now?" Angel asked no one in particular. "I just saw a sign on a bank that said it's 8 P.M." Connor announced.

"There's the Galway Inn Angel on your left. Wow it's awfully big for an Inn." Cordelia said as she bent forward to see how many floors it had. As far as she could see it had 12 stories. They couldn't see the ocean from the road they were on but they could smell it. Angel pulled into the driveway for the front lobby. He went inside and checked them in, after giving them his credit card and business card for Angel Investigations he returned to the van with a porter in tow.

"Everybody out, this is home for the next 2 nights." Angel helped Dr. Martin out and Connor helped Cordelia. They were all stiff from sitting for so long. Connor made sure they got all of the luggage and Angel handed the keys over to the valet who gave him a ticket in return. They all followed the porter to the elevator. Cordelia noticed that the Porter had pressed the button marked suites. She elbowed Dr. Martin in the side. When she had her attention she pointed at the button the Porter had pressed. She whispered "Suites." Dr. Martin smiled at her in return.

When the elevator stopped the Porter stepped out first and pulled the luggage carrier with him then went to the door directly across from the elevator doors. When he opened the door he stepped back so that they could go in first.

"Oh Angel it's beautiful." Cordelia went to the windows and opened the drapes which hid two french doors that led to the balcony and overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. She could hear the waves beating against the rocks. It reminded her of Hawaii and her honeymoon. She turned and went back in just as the porter started showing them the layout of the rooms and all of the various controls. The suite had 3 rooms with one being the master bedroom. Each bedroom had it's own bathroom and there was a kitchenette with a microwave, refrigerator and a small electric stove. The living room had a large 45 inch flat screen and cable television. The master bedroom had a large king size bed in it along with a balcony and it's own 32 inch flat screen TV. Cordelia almost screamed when she saw the deep whirlpool bath that overlooked the city. There was also a very modern glass enclosed shower that gave a full body spray. It was more than big enough for two people. Each bathroom had it's own electrical water heater that heated the water as it flowed through electrical coils so they could take as long a shower as they each wanted. Candles were set up all around the whirlpool and the rest of the bathroom. It all made for a very romantic setting. The porter pointed out to them that all of the windows were specially treated so that they wouldn't fog up. Angel gave him a tip and the porter left with the carrier. "I hope you enjoy your stay sir. The kitchen will be closing in 2 hours if you want to order room service." "Thank you." Angel said as the porter left.

"Lets order something to eat everyone before you unpack." Angel said. Cordelia pulled the menu out and told them what they had available. Meanwhile Dr. Martin was pulling out the jars of blood that she had brought with her for Angel. She was happy to see that they still had dry ice surrounding them and they were nice and cold.

"Your food took the trip real well so if you want any it's in the fridge Angel." "Thanks Mom, lets see what they have first."

After they all studied the menu Angel ordered a small rare steak along with a loaf of bread that came in a circle. Cordelia, Dr. Martin and Connor all ordered a cheeseburger. After Cordelia called in the order they all went to unpack. Angel took his shoes off and turned the TV on in their bedroom. The clerk that checked them in said that their was a special hotel channel that showed all of the local points of interest and the local country side. After awhile he looked to see where Cordelia was. He found her on the balcony listening to the waves so he joined her. He took in a deep breath of Ireland. He could smell the land as if it was alive. It called out to him with memories of his childhood when his mother would take him to the seaside for a picnic on Sundays. He remembered those days as the happiest days of his childhood. On those days his father would stay home which suited little Liam just fine because then he would have his mother all to himself. "Momma I'm home. I've been away for so long." Angel was so deep in thought that he hadn't realized that he had said this out loud.

The knock on the door brought him out of the depths of the well that contained his memories. "Angel, Cordelia the food is here." Connor said then walked away.

"Angel we have to go and have something to eat it's been a long time since we last ate. We've been so excited about being here and listening to Mom explain things to Connor that it took up our thoughts during the drive." Cordelia had stood up and put her arms around him. She laid her head on his back as he leaned over the railing. "Are you going to come or would you like for me to bring the food to our room?" "I'll come out and join everyone." They both stood up then and closed the doors to the balcony and went into the living room to join Dr. Martin and Connor.

"How is it?" Cordelia asked as they came through the door.

"It's very good. But I thought we ordered potato chips cause they gave us these french fries." Connor said as he picked one up and popped it in his mouth.

"That's what they call french fries over here." Angel said. He pulled the chair out for Cordelia and then sat down to his steak. They had cooked the steak just as he requested it. In a small cup they gave the juice. To the side he had a loaf of bread from a local bakery that was the size of a saucer. Angel pulled off a piece of the bread and put some butter on it and then dunked it in the blood that Dr. Martin had warmed up. He put it in his mouth and closed his eyes. "Mmm, mmmmm. That is good." Cordelia laughed at him. They ate in silence for awhile.

Cordelia, of course, was the first to speak up. "So my Irish lover what are we going to do tomorrow?" "On the guide for tourist that I was watching it said that their was an old part of town that is still standing from the 1700's. So that is where we are going. Connor when everyone is done you can push the cart out to the hallway. Goodnight everyone I am going to bed. It's been a long two days and I am dead tired." "I'll be in, in a few minutes Angel." "Okay." Angel answered then he stood up and took his glass of blood and went to the bedroom.

Cordelia warmed up a cup of water for her tea. Dr. Martin went over to her. "How has he been Cordelia? Has he been taking those pills I had made for him?" "I haven't seen him take any." Cordelia said as she took her cup of hot water out of the microwave.

"I want you to give him 2 of them and tell him that I said he was to take them tonight." "Okay, I'll make sure he takes them from now on. Goodnight Mom." Cordelia gave her a kiss on the cheek then said goodnight to Connor and went to the bedroom. She found Angel sitting on the balcony. She added her herbs to the hot water then went to the suitcases and pulled out the special pills that Dr. Martin had made for him. Then she grabbed a blanket and went to join him.

"Here Angel, Dr. Martin wants you to take these now. He took them without question and put them in his mouth and drank some blood to wash them down. Cordelia sat in the chair next to him and wrapped the blanket around herself . They sat in silence for a long time as she sipped at her tea. After an hour had passed she found that she had fallen asleep for a short time. Angel was still there in the same position and still looking out into space.

Cordelia knew that Angel was feeling very sad and his mind was occupied by thoughts of the life that he left behind here. She went over to him and pushed her way onto his lap. She kissed his lips very tenderly then she traced her finger over his lips and around his face and forehead. She traced kisses down his neck and to his ear where she lightly bit his ear lobe and breathed softly into his ear. Finally he responded to her. Angel put his hand under the blanket and skillfully opened her blouse and undid her bra with one hand as he held her with the other. When he placed his hand on her naked breast she gasped as an electrical current went from his hand and into her breast. At least that is what it felt like. Her nipples were firm because of the cold outside but he took it into his mouth and suckled. By the time he pulled his mouth away and kissed her lips so skillfully her nipples were warm and soft to the touch. He pushed her lips further apart so that his tongue could search out hers. When he found it his tongue wrapped itself around hers. He withdrew his tongue from her mouth and continued to lick her neck in between kisses. He picked her up with the blanket and took her inside. He couldn't wait so he put her down on the floor and took the rest of her clothes off while she practically tore his off. When they were done disrobing each other he returned to kissing her body all over. He put his hand between her legs and reached inside of her with his fingers to see if she was ready for him. As one hand was busy the other hand and his mouth were paying attention to her breasts. When he put his fingers up inside of her she arched her back as that electrical current went through her again. Cordelia reached down between his legs and found him ready also. She positioned herself until his hips were between her legs. She grabbed him and guided him into her warm opening and he gladly responded by carefully pushing as far in as he dared. She raised her hips and threw her legs around him. Angel took her right there on the floor. At first he did it slowly then faster until he felt her climax and then he took what he wanted. They laid on the floor for awhile and after a short rest Cordelia pushed herself away from him. Then she started kissing him again doing everything to him that he had done to her except this time as she felt him starting to get hard again she took him into her mouth. As she started to lick him all over and take as much of him into her mouth as she could one of her hands assisted her mouth and her other hand played with his boys. With each stroke she could feel him getting harder so she increased the speed of her up and down movements and within minutes he climaxed so hard that he let out a loud moan. She slowly wiggled her way up his body and let her breasts slide up against his legs until she could take him between her breasts as she pressed them together. Within minutes he was getting hard again and achieved an erection again within minutes of the last one. Cordelia was getting more and more skillful at making love to Angel. He reached down and pulled her up where he could reach her lips. He couldn't stand it anymore. She was not only getting skillful at making love she was also getting skillful at driving him crazy with desire for her. He pushed her legs apart again with his and entered her once again. Once again he suckled at her other breast but this time he did it longer and harder until he got the response from her that he was searching for. Angel put his hands between her legs and played with her center until he felt her squeezing her legs around him then he brought them both to a climax. Angel laid down beside her without withdrawing from her and pulled the blanket over them then grabbed the quilt from the bed and pulled that down around them also. They both went to sleep then. They were both tired and content. Angel smiled as he heard Cordelia purr in her sleep.

Three hours later Cordelia woke up shivering. The warmth of their love making had warn off and now she was cold. She got up and closed the windows and put the blanket and covers back onto the bed. "Angel get up baby. Lets get into the bed it's to cold for me on the floor now." He woke up long enough to crawl to the bed and under the covers. Cordelia covered him up along with herself. Then cuddled up to him and went back to sleep.

They didn't wake up again until it was 10 A.M. the next morning. Cordelia crawled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. When she was done cleaning herself inside she started to run the water in the whirlpool. She found some bubble bath and poured it in. After she got in she called for Angel.

"Aaaannnnggggeeellll, oh wake up Angel." She lay soaking in the whirlpool but hadn't turned the jets on yet. She didn't hear anything in the bedroom so she called out again. This time she heard him get out of bed with a loud thud. In another few minutes Angel came crawling in on his hands and knees and laid down again on the soft carpet. "What do you want Cordy." "I want you to get into the whirlpool with me before I turn the jets on." "Oh, okay." Angel stayed on the floor and before she knew it he was snoring softly again. Cordy thought she would try one of Dr. Martins tricks. "Liam me we boy. Your Da is calling for you to come and help with the milking." Cordelia did her best Irish accent and hoped that, that would finally get him to stay awake this time. "I'm coming momma I'm coming." Angel got up and looked around with one eye shut. He wasn't used to seeing the day light coming into the room when he woke up. He jumped up to get out of the sun light. He was still half asleep because he forgot that he had Hunter's ring on. He rubbed his eyes and got on his knees again. "Do you think your being funny missy?" He said to Cordy. "As a matter of fact yes. It got you up didn't it? Get in here with me so you can wash my back and we can take some time to soak a bit. The whirlpool is keeping the water warm so that not even your cold buns can cool it off."

Angel got in the whirlpool also. Cordy had her side to sit on and he had his. She turned the jets on and they just let the jets massage their bodies. They were a little sore from all of last nights activities.

"Last night was A number One Okay Cordy. You are getting good girl. If Fred is even half as good as you Wesley should have her pregnant by the time we get home. He sat up and picked up a washcloth and the liquid soap and started washing her all over. Then he gave the washcloth and liquid soap to her so that she could do the same for him. When she was done they laid back again and just soaked for awhile longer until they heard Connor knocking on the door. "Are you two going to stay in the whirlpool forever and a day? Grandma and I have already had our breakfast and I am cooking up some scrambled eggs and toast for you two right now so get out of the tub and get in here. Were burning daylight here guys." Angel finally heard Connor leave the door.

"I guess we better get up before we both turn into prunes." Cordelia said as she got out of the tub. Angel got out of the tub reluctantly and slowly. Cordelia saw how slow he was moving. She turned to help him. "Angel what's wrong?" "I'm not sure but I feel so tired." Cordelia helped him to dry off then stood by him as he made it to the bed. She helped him to get dressed then helped him walk out into the living room where he sat on the couch.

Dr. Martin and Connor were sitting at the table but got up and followed them to the couch. "What's wrong Angel?" Dr. Martin asked. "I'm real tired. I think I'm not getting enough blood to drink. Remember when it was taking me so long to heal after I was crucified. That's what I feel like again. Cordy I need for you to check out the phone book for a butcher around here. When you get the phone number I'll make the call to see if they sell animal blood." Cordelia started looking thru the local phone book that was at the desk.

"The pills Cordy gave you last night didn't help?" "They helped for what she did to me last night but now I am to tired to even reminisce about it. Angelus seems to be putting his foot down on this. He either wants or has to have pure blood. Since I have always consumed pure blood I don't know exactly what it is." "Why don't you take some right now so that we can see if it is going to have any affect on you at all." Dr. Martin went to their room and grabbed the bottle of pills. She gave him several pills and some bottled water that was in the refrigerator.

Cordelia came over to the couch with the phone. "There is a butcher close to the hotel according to the map. Here is the phone number." Angel took the phone and number from her. He sat up and made the phone call. They waited while he spoke in Gaelic to the butcher. After 10 minutes he turned the phone off. "You can go and get it right now. He said he is getting ready to slaughter some sheep right now and he will save the blood for me. I told him it had to be kept as clean as possible since I was going to make something that my mother used to make for me when I was little. I said I needed a couple of gallons just in case I screwed up the recipe. So that's your story. You can tell him that were Americans but that your husband was born here and we came to see my birthplace. Don't ask the clerk how to get there. He'll have too many questions. Connor go with Cordy. I am entrusting you with her safety Connor because I don't think I could do anything right now. Don't think that you'll be safe here just because were in Ireland. Remember that this is where your mother found me. Cordy leave your purse here and just take what you need. I picked up these little cards that they have for the monetary exchange rate." Angel gave one to everyone. "Get going now before I turn to dust from hunger."

Cordelia held out her hand for the ticket to give the valet. "It's in the inside pocket of my jacket." Cordy went to their bedroom and got the ticket. "Did you ask how much it would be?" "No, but it shouldn't be more than $10." Cordy took her wallet with her drivers license and some money then they headed out the door. Angel laid back down again and Dr. Martin went to their bedroom and pulled one of the blankets from the bed. Within that short time Angel had fallen back to asleep. Dr. Martin put the blanket over him, then closed the drapes and turned the kitchen light off. She went back to her room, grabbed a blanket and went out to the balcony where she sat down to pray her rosary and The Litany of Offices that most religious were obliged to pray at least some portion or all of it every day. She had a hard time concentrating on her prayers since she had such a beautiful view of the town and the ocean. The town was busy now so it was to noisy to hear the sounds of the waves. Finally after several attempts to start her prayers she closed her eyes so she could shut out the world and concentrate on her prayers.

An hour later Cordelia and Connor came through the door. Connor was carrying the 2 jugs of blood. Cordelia went over to the couch and gently shook Angel. "Angel, wake up honey. We have some blood for you." Angel opened his eyes and sat up. Dr. Martin heard them come in so she joined them. As soon as Connor unscrewed the cap Angel could smell it. Before anyone knew what was going on Angel had gone to the kitchen and took the whole jug out of Connors hands and began drinking it right from the jug. He didn't stop until he drank half of it. Connor tried to wipe the blood up that was spilling to the side of his face but he pushed him away. He finally put the jug down and took a breath. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked around and noticed everyone looking at him. "What's wrong? You've seen me drink blood before." "Yes dear but you usually don't change your features when you do." Angel reached up and felt his face. "Sorry, I couldn't control that. I was too hungry for it. I bet I scared the socks off of Mother Superior when I changed after you gave me the Hershey's chocolate bar Mom. You were craving that chocolate so bad Cordy that when I picked up on it I guess it was as bad as when I am hungry for blood like now and I let Angelus come through for a second."

"How are you feeling now?" Cordy asked. "All better now Momma." Angel answered with a grin as he drank some more blood. "Okay Daddy as soon as you change your shirt and clean up we can start acting like tourists." Cordy said as she went into the kitchen and had a slice of toast with an egg on it. By the time she was done with her tea Angel was ready. "Lets go everyone I am ready to see my old home town."

Cordy went inside and got his coat and hers also. "Here is your coat, you don't want to look out of place do you?" Angel took the coat and put it on. Then they all filed out of the door and to the elevator. When they arrived downstairs Angel went to the lobby counter and told the clerk that they didn't need anything in the suite and he didn't want anyone going in his rooms while they were gone. He joined the others. Cordy had already given the valet the ticket for the van. She had told them that they would probably be going out again within a short time so they had parked the van close to the entrance. As the valet pulled up in front of them Angel gave him a tip and helped Dr. Martin in while Connor helped Cordelia.

When Angel pulled out into traffic he headed towards the middle of town then took a side road. As they were going along the streets started to become more narrow until their was just enough room for just 1 vehicle. At that point Angel found a parking lot and pulled in. They didn't allow vehicles beyond this point anyway since the roads were to narrow for 2 vehicles to pass each other and the old brick roads couldn't take the weight of the modern day vehicles.

They all got out and followed Angel who seemed to know exactly where he was going. "You seem to be looking for something Angel. What is it?" "I am looking to see if the pub I used to go to all of the time is still there. If it is then I will be able to show you the alleyway where Darla turned me."

They continued to follow him. He started walking faster then stopped as he got to a small intersection. He stared at the pub then looked at the alley across from it which led through an archway. He walked more slowly now. He came to the entrance of the alley and stopped and just stared at the brick covered road.

"This is it Connor. This is where your mother enticed me to join her. I thought she meant that she wanted me to join her in her bed but she meant for me to join her in her world of Vampires and demons. Because of what she did to me that night I was introduced to Angelus and I have been suffering for it for over 250 years." "You sound like you hate her for it." Connor said.

"I did for a long time but I don't anymore. It is no more her fault that she was turned into a Vampire than it was mine. Dr. Martin helped me to see and understand that. When I made my confession to Fr. Barris he told me that none of the things that Angelus did when he was in control of my body was my fault. As part of my penance he ordered me to stop blaming myself for everything that Angelus did and that I was only responsible for what happened while I had my soul. As I worked on clearing my conscience of all of those years of hatred for myself I also stopped blaming your mother." Angel put his arm around Connors shoulder and they turned back to Cordelia and Dr. Martin who were waiting patiently. Angel took them over to the pub that he had spent so many hours of happiness in. He opened the door. Cordelia looked at him as they all went in. He looked like his face was going to split, his grin was so wide.

A hostess came up to them and told them to sit wherever they wanted to. Angel guided them over to a bench type table that looked as though it was as old as the building. As they sat down he started looking all over the table.

"I think this is the table I always sat at. Look for my name, not Angel but Liam Martin." After a few minutes Dr. Martin called out, "I found it." She pulled one of the lamps closer to the name that was carved in the wood of the table. They all stood up to take a look at it. Angel ran his fingers over the letters that he had carved in the wood over 2 centuries ago. The waitress came over then and they sat down again. Angel ordered some ale for everyone and said they would order the food when she came back. They checked the menu out and decided to let Angel order for them. They had some unusual names for the food and they felt safer letting him order. "I am going to show Connor my favorite place in here." The ladies said okay and the men left. As soon as they were gone Cordelia looked at Dr. Martin and said "What do you want to bet that he is showing Connor where he made marks on a post where he kept count of his conquests in bed."

"No he wouldn't have that in here would he?" Dr. Martin said as she watched them turn the corner. "Mom, I overheard him telling Gunn and Wesley one night that, that was how he kept track of how many women he had sex with." They both looked at each other and got up at the same time and followed Angel and Connor. They saw them standing at the foot of what used to be a stairway and a large post that the stairway was attached to and also helped to hold up the ceiling. Angel went up a couple of steps and told Connor to come up and reach up and put his hand on a certain place then bring his fingers down to the bottom. Connor seemed to be counting something because he went at it slowly. They saw the look on Connors face when he got done. The women hid in the ladies bathroom as they came back. When they went past they came out and went to the post and found that there were notches in the post. Cordelia counted them. When she was done she looked at Dr. Martin "There are 73 marks going sideways and 3 that are together and are standing up. He must of had 3 women at one time then." They looked over at Angel with their mouths open. "No wonder he is so skillful at making love. He has had an awful lot of practice." They stopped in the ladies room and cleaned up then went back to the table.

"And where have you ladies been? Keeping out of trouble I hope?" Angel said. The waitress brought their food for them. Angel had ordered a beef stew and a round loaf of bread. The waitress gave them four bowls and a small bowl of butter for the bread.

Dr. Martin looked at it. "This is just like my grandmother used to make." She took a slice of the bread with the butter on it then dipped it in the stew. "Oh my goodness this is so good. Try it Cordelia it's so good." Cordelia ate some of the stew. "This is good." Angel had dished up mostly the gravy so that he could soak it up with his bread. He was still pretty full from the blood he had drunk. He was looking around a lot and memories of his misspent youth kept crowding his thoughts. Mostly he thought of the fun he had fighting in those days.

"Mom, do psychiatrist have any explanation why men have so much fun fighting?" Angel asked as he dipped the last piece of bread in his bowl.

"A group of men were asked that very question while they were in jail. A psychiatric student was able to obtain permission from a local sheriff in a small town, to question his prisoners that had been in a bar room brawl in Texas. It turned out that these very same men had this bar room brawl at least once each month. When asked the question why do you fight like this all of the time when you know that you are going to end up in jail for a couple of days. All of these men answered with the same thing. They said 'It's fun.' But I have my own thoughts on that. I think that men do it because it's how they let off steam. Have you ever come across Cordelia crying her eyes out and when you ask what's wrong she just says nothing and continues crying?"

"Yes and it drives me crazy. I keep on thinking that I've done something to make her cry. But she always just says nothings wrong I just needed to cry."

"Well women cry and men fight. Humans just seem to have something that builds up inside of us and we need to let it out. So women cry and men fight. It's like a pressure valve that lets the steam escape when the pressures inside get to high."

"Well my pressure valve seems to be stuck. I need to work out in a gym for a couple of hours. I won't be able to fight if I don't get some exercise. Either that or my buddy here and I can go out tonight and have some fun. Are you up for your first bar room brawl Connor?" Angel asked.

"Do we have to drop off the women or do we just drag them by the hair out to the van and tie them up to the bumper?" Angel swung his leg over the bench and just looked at Connor.

"Why Connor Martin. I would never do anything like that. Besides Cordy would hurt me." They had a good laugh then got up. Angel left the tip and paid at the register as they left. They had a nice slow walk back to the van. Cordy was window shopping as they went. Angel was thinking of all of the times that he had walked thru these very streets as a young man. Thoughts of killing people tried to infringe on his thoughts but he pushed them away by reaching for Cordy's hand. The thoughts stayed with him though and they became stronger as he continued through the old part of town.

"Let's get back to the Hotel." Angel was walking fast and towing Cordelia along behind him. When they had to walk on the street Cordelia tripped on one of the old bricks that was partially sticking up from the rest. When she went down hard on one of her knees, she cried out for Angel to stop. Angel turned and picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. Dr. Martin had to run to keep up with Angel and Connor. Angel continued running away from the old part of town and didn't stop until he got to the van. He pressed the button on the key ring so that the side door would open. Angel placed Cordelia on the seat and laid his head on her lap. He was breathing hard and sweating. Cordelia put her hand on him and ran it over his head to try and calm him down.

"What's wrong Angel?" Cordelia asked. After he was able to get himself under control he looked up at her and turned and looked for Dr. Martin. Connor was standing next to the van on the other side of him. Angel took Dr. Martins hand in his. "Angelus was hitting me with everything. He brought Kathleen's face, my fathers and step mothers face in front of me. Everyone that I killed in these alleys before I left with Darla was also flung into my face. Angel let go of Cordelia and Dr. Martin and went over to the front of the van. He started throwing up until his stomach was empty. Fortunately he had already digested most of the blood he had drunk. Dr. Martin waited for him to finish then went to him. There was a faucet and hose near by so she wet her handkerchief and gave it to him to wipe his face. When he felt a little better Angel went to the faucet and rinsed his mouth out, then washed down the front of the van since he had thrown up on it also. When he was done he went back to Cordelia. Dr. Martin was checking her knee. Her pants had torn over her knee but otherwise it was just scratched.

"Cordelia I think I know now what you felt like when Volka gave you all of those visions at once. I don't think I'll want to go down there again. I'm sorry I dragged you along with me so fast. All I could think of was to get away from there." Angel sat on the step of the van and leaned his head back against Cordelia. Dr. Martin gave Cordelia the handkerchief so she could put it on Angels face. After a few minutes rest Angel stood up and closed the door. He went to the other side and helped Dr. Martin get in. Angel and Connor got in and they took off for the Hotel.

Angel pulled up to the entrance of the Hotel. Before he got out he turned to everyone. "If you all want to go out and do some sightseeing here are the keys." "No I think I've had enough for today." Cordelia said and Dr. Martin echoed her response also. "Are we still going to go out tonight?" Connor asked.

"I don't think so Connor. I think I'll just check to see if they have a gym here. I need my family around me right now. When all of you are with me, I, I draw strength from all of you and it's only then that I can endure what Angelus throws at me. Do you understand what I am trying to say." "Sure Dad I understand. If they have a gym though you had better take a nap old man cause I am going to beat you at everything tonight." "In your dreams." Angel said. Connor and Angel got out of the van and Cordelia and Dr. Martin just looked at each other and said at the same time "Men." They laughed and got out so the Valet could park the van.

Angel stopped at the counter to enquire about a gym. The rest waited for him by the elevator.

They saw the clerk give Angel a key. As he returned to them he said "Lets go take a look at the gym before we go up. He said we could use it at any time." He held up the key as proof.

The gym was right around the corner from the elevator. Their was no one in it at the time so they took a little tour. They had everything that a gym would have except it was just one machine of each kind. The hotels recreational pool continued into the gym so that you could go into the pool after a work out and then go under the glass wall and be in the outside pool. The whole pool was heated to a constant 75 degrees during the winter and summer. A large exercise pad was in the middle of the room also.

"Wow, it has everything we need." Connor said excitedly. "Why don't you come down with us Cordelia. I haven't worked out with you in a long time." Angel asked. "I don't know Angel, I have to be careful now." Cordelia said. "It's alright Cordelia. Keeping yourself in good shape physically will help you to have an easier delivery. I'll come down with you and if you do something that you shouldn't I'll let you know." Dr. Martin said. "Now you don't have any excuse." Angel said as they left to go up to the room.

"I am taking a nap girls so I can be rested for tonight." Angel said as they entered their suite.

"Hey, what do you mean 'girls'. There is one other man in here you know." "Oh I forgot. Well tonight I'll give you a chance to prove it. Of course now the reason I want to go at night is so that I can use my full strength. So get all of the rest you can my boy, because tonight you are going to get a workout." Angel went into his room and closed the door. Cordelia listened at the door. She looked back at Connor and said "He's laughing his head off. He's got something up his sleeve Connor I wouldn't worry."

Connor tried acting real macho by saying 'I'm not afraid.' Connor went in his room to rest anyway.

"Connor has never won against Angel yet." Cordelia told Dr. Martin. She made herself a hot cup of water so she could make her tea. She had forgotten to have some after they ate and she was hoping it wasn't too late. She made some regular tea for Dr. Martin and they went outside on the balcony to watch the view and drink their tea. "How often have they had physical fights and why?" Dr. Martin asked.

"Well I can't say how many because I've lost count but it's been a lot and usually it was because of Connors hot temper. As you know he never used to try to find out the whole truth behind something, his temper would just flare. That's when Angel and Connor would start fighting. Connor never wins the fights and he never learns that he can't win over Angel. You see Connor inherited Angel and Darla's strength, speed, sense of smell and hearing, but he doesn't seem to have inherited the ability for the psychic link or the full strength and speed. Angel has been working out with him once in awhile and without Connor knowing it he's been keeping track of Connor to see if he is getting stronger as time goes by. Tonight I think Connor is going to get tested again. That is why he said he is going to use his full strength tonight. Well I think I'll go and take a nap also since he is going to make me work out also. I'll see you later." Cordelia picked her cup up and took it into the kitchen, washed it out and put it away. Then she joined Angel for a nap. Dr. Martin thought to herself 'Well since everyone else is taking a nap I might as well also.' She cleaned her cup then went to her bed and settled down for a nap. "This is nice, yup I could definitely learn to get used to this sleeping in the afternoon." Before she could finish the thought she was asleep.

Angel was having a dream of being pulled behind a truck as horses were being forced to try to stomp on him. As his body turned upwards he tried to get a look as to who was riding the horses. When he was able to focus in on them he saw that it was Holtz and his men. Angel woke up yelling Holtz's name.

"Bad dream?" Cordelia asked as she reached up for him. "You haven't had those in a long time. Maybe coming here was a bad idea." "No I wanted to see Ireland again and I wanted you and Connor to see the land where I was born over 250 years ago." Angel said as he laid back down. Cordelia looked at the clock. "It's 6 o'clock, when did you want to go downstairs?" "Lets go now, did you bring your bathing suit?" "Yes, I brought your swimming trunks also." "Good let's go swimming afterward." They both got up then and gathered there things. When they went into the living room they found Connor sitting on the couch watching the Hotel channel that showed the different sights around Galway. "Get your swimming trunks Connor were going swimming afterwards." "Aren't you afraid you'll be to tired afterwards?" Connor said as he went to get his swimming trunks. "I'll answer that when we get downstairs." Angel said. Cordelia had knocked on Dr. Martins door. "Lets go Mom and get your bathing suit so we can go swimming." Dr. Martin came out in a few minutes. Everyone stared at her when she came out. "What's everyone looking at. Are you shocked that I actually have legs?" She had come out wearing shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt.

Connor was the first to speak. "You are one hot foxy looking lady." Angel reached over and lightly hit him upside his head. "That's no way to talk to your grandma." Why? Don't tell me you didn't think the same thing. I saw you looking at her." Connor said in reply with a grin. "Well all I can say is that I hope I look half as good when I get to your age." Cordelia remarked.

Angel got control of himself and said "Lets go."

When they arrived at the gym their was one person left and he was getting ready to leave. They had the whole gym to themselves. They threw their stuff to the side and started their warm up exercises. Dr. Martin watched from the side after giving Cordelia instructions as to what she was to be careful about. After 30 minutes Angel started with a workout on the weights. The hotel, for insurance reasons, only had the bar bells going up to 250 pounds. So Angel did 50 of those. When he got up Connor started on them. When they were all done going through the machines Angel called Dr. Martin and Connor over to the center mat. "Common you two I am going to teach you Tai-Chi." "Isn't that the Japanese exercise that goes in slow motion?" Dr. Martin asked. "Yes but it is also very useful for keeping the muscles toned. Once you learn to do it correctly it also helps to calm your inner being. Cordy is almost as good at it as I am. Connor this will help you to learn to control every movement that you make. It helps me to control my temper when I am fighting so that I don't let my emotions control what I am doing. Like you said I gave you your Irish temper so this is how I have learned to control it. I am going to stand at the front so that you can watch me. Get in position like Cordy. Here we go." Angel led them through a 30 minute exercise. When he was done Cordy and Dr. Martin sat on the floor to rest their muscles.

"Okay ladies if you would move to the area by the wall I would appreciate it. Connor and I are going to have some fun." Cordelia and Dr. Martin reluctantly got up and sat on some chairs that were by the wall and near the pool.

Connor knew what they were going to do so he took his t-shirt off and Angel did the same. Angel noticed how Connor had started to develop some muscle. He wasn't anywhere near as big as Angel but he had time on his side.

"Come at me Connor, lets see if your able to take your old man yet." Connor took a running leap at Angel and tried to hit him in the chest but he missed and landed on his behind instead. He quickly twisted his legs around though and forced Angels legs out from under him. He went down hard but he was on his feet within a second. This time Angel tried to move on Connor. His foot got Connor in the head and he fell backwards.

On the sideline Dr. Martin started to go to him, but Cordelia caught her arm. "He's alright Mom, remember that they heal quickly. He'll be alright. If I thought he was getting hurt I would stop them. I know it's going to look bad, like they're killing each other but it's just a work out for them. They get hurt much worse when they are fighting demons and Vampires." Dr. Martin sat back down and kept her eyes closed most of the time. Connor repeatedly tried to get the better of Angel and repeatedly Angel got the better of Connor. After 30 minutes Angel finally called a halt to it. They were both breathing heavily and just sat on the mat. After a few minutes rest Angel got up and offered his hand to his son. He noticed the look on Connors face. Finally Connor got up on his own.

"Either your getting better or I'm slowing down because of Cordy." "What makes you think I'm getting better? You still won." Connor practically spit it out. Cordelia and Dr. Martin noticed this.

"Didn't you notice how I was starting to breath faster half way through the match?" "Yeah that's right you did didn't you. I've never been able to get you to do that before." Connor had a brighter outlook right away. Then it dawned on him as to the other thing Angel had said. "What do you mean it's probably Cordelia's fault?" Angel leaned into Connor and said "Sex. It will drain a man every time. Don't you know that a boxer is always told by his coach that he has to lay off of the sex when they are training for a fight?" Cordelia yelled from the side line. "Don't you believe him Connor. We didn't have any sex last night, he just doesn't want to admit your getting better." Connor was practically ecstatic when Cordelia said that.

Cordelia got up and took her work out clothes off and the rest did the same. Dr. Martin let her hair down and it went all the way down to and below her posterior. She looked like she would have to lift it up so that she could sit down. She asked Cordelia to help her put a rubber band on it so that it wouldn't go into her face. She wore a modest black one piece swim suit and as soon as Cordelia was done fixing her hair she jumped into the pool and did a couple of laps around the pool. The rest jumped in and did a few laps around the pool also. Of course Connor tried competing with Angel again and once again lost. Dr. Martin started showing Cordelia and Angel some exercises that Cordelia could do in the pool that would be easier on her body once she started getting to big to do the exercise that they had just done. Connor was keeping himself busy by swimming circles around them. Angel finally reached out and pulled him up by the hair. "Are you hungry?" "I am starving." Connor said. "Good why don't you run upstairs and get the ticket for the van and go and get the ladies something to eat. It's after 10 P.M. and the kitchen is closed here. Do you think you can navigate the streets okay?" "I think so." Connor said. "Okay what do you want ladies?" Pizza, cheeseburgers and chips, or Chinese food, or steaks or shall we see if they will let us go into the kitchen and make some sandwiches?" Everybody said the same thing. "Chinese food."

"Lets go up stairs then so you can look at the menu." Angel said as he started for the steps. "Why don't you just get the usual Connor. You know, pork fried rice, noodles you know the kind of stuff that we usually get at home. By the way what is a Chinese food restaurant doing in Ireland?" Cordelia asked. "I don't think there is a country in the world that doesn't have them, except for communist countries like Russia or Cuba." Dr. Martin answered. Connor was out of the pool and running for the elevator while they where still talking. He was just starting to learn to drive and he was happy to get a chance to drive tonight and especially in a foreign land. When he came back down stairs he asked the clerk at the counter where the nearest Chinese food restaurant was. "There is one right next store sir." The clerk said and Connors face immediately fell. He thought of using the van anyway but he thought the valet would probably think he was a crazy American. He went back into the gym to give Angel the key to the room.

"Where is he? He said I could drive the van because he knew that the only take out places where right around the Hotel." Cordelia pointed down. He knew you were coming back in so he went down where you couldn't yell at him. Connor dropped the key and money, threw his shoes off and jumped in. He went after Angel of course and Angel swam away from him and just out of Connors reach. He tried getting out of the pool but he was laughing so hard he couldn't quiet make it. Connor grabbed him from behind and pulled him back in. Cordelia and Dr. Martin couldn't see what was going on so they dunked their heads down under water. When they saw Angel getting the better of Connor they ganged up on Angel and held him back while Connor grabbed his foot and started tickling it. Even though Angel had both Dr. Martin and Cordelia hanging onto each arm he was able to walk over to the side of the pool and deposit the ladies on the steps. Then he turned around and looked for Connor, but he was gone. He had brought some dry clothes down with him and ran to the changing rooms and removed his wet clothes and got into his dry clothes. He quickly threw his wet clothes at Angel who was waiting to pounce on him as soon as he came out. While Connor went to get the food Angel, Cordelia and Dr. Martin got out of the pool and went up stairs. They took showers and changed into some comfortable clothes. When Angel came out he looked at his watch. "It's been about 45 minutes since he's been gone. Shouldn't he be back by now?" "Yeah it is taking him an awfully long time. Especially since it's right next door." Cordelia said. She was starting to get worried also. Just as Angel was about to go out of the door Connor knocked at the door. Angel it "Where have you been? I was getting worried." Connor gave Cordelia the bag of food and walked to the kitchen table. Angel came over to him. He looked closely at Connor. He could smell blood on him. Angel kneeled down by Connor and pushed his hand away that he had been holding over his side. He saw the stab wound. Connor looked at Angel and collapsed in his arms.

"Mom, Connors hurt." Angel picked Connor up and put him on the table. Cordelia turned the light on as high as it would go. Dr. Martin went to her bedroom to get her medical bag. She yelled at Angel "Take his shirt off Angel." Cordelia got some towels from the kitchen along with a pitcher of water to clean the wound out. Dr. Martin placed one of the towels under Connor then ran the water over the wound. "He'll be okay Angel it's a simple wound. It just looks like he has lost a lot of blood. He heals as fast as you do doesn't he?" "Yes." Angel answered as he walked back and forth. Connor started to wake up. Angel went to his side.

"Connor what happened?" His father asked. "Two humans jumped me as I was crossing the alley between the restaurant and the hotel. As one stepped out in front of me the other stuck his knife against my back. It wasn't really his fault that the knife went thru me. I stepped backwards and his knife went thru my side as I pressed him up against the wall. I guess they got scared because they took off like two bats out of hell."

"Connor do you feel strong enough to get up now? The bleeding has stopped and your almost completely healed." Dr. Martin said. Angel helped Connor to sit up and then he got off of the table. "How do you feel? Do you feel light headed at all?" "No Grandma I feel much better. I am real hungry though. I'm going to put on another t-shirt then I'll be right back and ready to eat." Connor left to go into his room and clean up, then he put a clean t-shirt on.

"Like father like son." Cordelia said as she cleaned the table off and set the food on the table along with plates and silverware.

Dr. Martin put her things away and went to wash her hands then joined everyone else in the kitchen. Connor was already sitting down to eat. Angel was just having blood that he warmed up in the microwave. He turned the television on and sat on the couch while he drank his blood. Thirty minutes later Dr. Martin and Cordelia were cleaning up and putting what food was left in the refrigerator. "I'm going to go and take a shower now and get this chlorine out of my hair. Who wants to help me brush it while it dries?" Dr. Martin asked as she pulled the rubber band out of her hair. "I'll do it Mom." Cordelia answered. "Okay I'll be back in about 30 minutes." Dr. Martin went in to take a shower and wash her hair. As promised she was back in 30 minutes. Unfortunately everyone was asleep. Cordelia had laid down on the floor and Angel had gotten off of the couch to lay down with her. Connor was on the floor also and was curled up like a baby. Dr. Martin went into Angel and Cordelia's room and pulled the quilt off of the bed and covered them with it. She went to get Connors and covered him with his quilt. She looked at them and shook her head. "And here I thought I was going to be the one to fall asleep first." She went into her bed and finished brushing her hair until it was dry then she went to bed and was asleep within seconds.

Cordelia was the first to wake up. She looked at the clock. It was 2 A.M. in the morning. She shook Angel. "Angel wake up and lets go to bed. We'll both be even more sore if we stay on the floor." Angel reluctantly got up and crawled on his hands and knees to their bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his shoes off, next came his shirt and t-shirt. He got as far as unzipping his pants but then fell back on the bed and went to sleep. Cordelia watched him crawl to the bed and start to get undressed. She went back to the living room and turned the TV and lights off and then went back in the room. She got herself undressed and then pulled Angels clothes off the rest of the way. She threw the quilt back on the bed and over Angel then crawled into bed and went back to sleep.

The next morning Cordelia woke up to the sound of water running in the hot tub. Angel came out in his birthday suit. Do you need to use the bathroom before I get into the whirlpool?" "Yea."

Cordelia got up and put her bathrobe on since it was cold in the room. She went into the bathroom and closed the door. The whirlpool would take a while to fill up so she wasn't worried about it. Angel heard the toilet flush. He got up and knocked on the door. "Can I come in yet?" "No, stay out." "What's the matter Cordy?" "Nothing, just stay out." Angel was getting worried. He waited for a few minutes than tried again. "Can I come in now?" "Yes." Cordelia answered softly. Angel opened the door slowly. He saw her in the whirlpool so he came in and slipped into the tub. He looked at her. She turned away from him, she didn't want him to see the tears that were still flowing.

"What's wrong Cordy?" She still didn't say anything. Angel moved over to her side and pulled her into his arms then settled back down again. Cordelia hid her face against his chest and started to cry her eyes out. After about 10 minutes she finally stopped. Her deep sobs slowed down until she was just whimpering. Then that stopped and she turned around and sank her whole body below the water. She came back up and wiped the water from her hair and eyes with her hands. She turned around to Angel again and gave him a kiss and leaned against his chest again. "What was that for?" "It was a thank you kiss for not asking me a bunch of questions and trying to get me to stop crying. My big sobbing crying jig was one of my therapeutic cries. Either that or else it's a pregnancy cry. It's weird how I feel so much better when I cry like that. Give me a massage Angel, my muscles are all sore from last nights workout. You were right it had been too long since we had last exercised. We are going to have to make sure we do that at least twice each week until I can't do it anymore. Mom said if I keep my muscles in shape it will be a lot easier on me when I go into labor. Angel had been massaging her shoulders and neck. When she mentioned her labor he stopped.

"Are you afraid Cordy?" "Of what?" "Of the pain you will have to go through to bring our daughter into the world." "Yes, I am afraid. But when ever I start thinking about it and start getting scared I think of the happiness that we will experience afterward. I think of the look of pure joy and happiness that you will have on your face when our daughter is put into your arms. I think of the joy and contentment that I will feel when I first put Kathleen to my breast for her first meal."

They sat in the tub for a while longer then started to clean themselves. By 9 o'clock they were dressed and packing their clothes. Check out time was at 11. Angel went to Dr. Martins door and knocked on it. "I'm up and I'll be out in a few minutes." "Okay, well check out and then have breakfast before we leave the hotel okay?" "Yeah, that sounds good to me." Angel knocked on Connors door next. "I'll be ready in a second." "Good, how are you feeling?" "Never better."

Angel went to the kitchen and warmed up the blood that was left in the jugs and then filled the two thermos bottles that Cordelia carried. There was just a little left so he drank it. He rinsed the jugs out so that he could take them with him. He wanted to have something to put the animal blood in if he needed to go shopping on some ones farm. He put the jugs by their bags.

Angel stood in the middle of the living room and yelled, "Lets go guys where burning daylight here and I don't get to do that very often you know." Everyone came running out at the same time. "Well it's about time." The Porter knocked on the door just as they came out of their rooms. Angel opened the door so he could get the luggage. When they had everything loaded he told the Porter to hold the luggage at the front because they were going to go and have breakfast.

"Lets go troops." Angel ushered them all out the door. There wasn't hardly any one in the restaurant so they had their pick of seats. Angel chose a table over by the window. Since he was able to go into the sunlight he didn't want to waist any opportunity to bask in it. They quickly had their breakfast so that they could get on the road. While the others were finishing up and Cordelia had her tea Angel went into the lobby of the hotel and asked for directions to the district and small town where they would be staying for the next two weeks. The clerk sold Angel a local street map of the surrounding counties. She then showed him where the section of town that he was looking for was. Cordelia, Dr. Martin and Connor came around the corner. "Everybody ready?" "Yes sir." Connor said as he saluted. "All present and accounted for sir." "Very well soldier lets get the two privates loaded." Cordelia and Dr. Martin just looked at each other. "Lets just humor them for now Mom. They'll be much easier to handle later on if we let them play their little game." "I agree my fellow private. If I've done it once I've done it 73 times." Dr. Martin looked at Cordelia and winked. They silently made an agreement between them that the torture was to begin. The puppet strings had just been tightened a little.

Angel had given the valet his ticket and was listening in on the women's conversation. He walked over to Connor and whispered to him "I don't know how but they know how many notches I had placed on that post." "How could they unless they had followed us." Connor said. "Remember when we came back they weren't there and when they returned they said they had gone to the ladies room. They must have been watching us when I was showing you where it was." "So what's the battle plan?" Connor asked. "Remember the 3 women that I told you about that helped Lorne to cast a protective shield around Caritas?" "Yes." Connor answered. He had heard Gunn and Wesley talking about the 3 women but he could never find out what they were or how they knew Angel. Now he was going to find out. Connor knew that Angel had been with a lot of women over his 270 some years and now he was going to find out about his time with the 3 women. "When we get on the road you can ask me about the. Now they aren't the ones that I put the 3 notches for but we're going to make Cordelia so curious that she is going to blurt a question out. This game is going to take a while to play. Do you think you can stand up to their attacks soldier?" Connor saluted "Sir, yes sir." Angel smiled. "We shall see, we shall see."

The van was brought up to them and they loaded up and got on the road.

TBC...............


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the reviews. It's always good to receive them.

HKW..Angel seems out of character because his redemption is slowly coming his way and he is being given the time to adjust. I am sure you would agree you don't change the way you think and act overnight. You need time to adjust. Angel has a lot of issues that he has to deal with from his past. You can't change and become a better person when you still are holding onto the bad memories of your past. Angel is reconciling himself with his past now. He has a lot to go through still yet.

"The GIFT

Chapter 5

They didn't have to far to travel to get to the small village that Angel had lived in. The house he had rented for them was set further back from the road and they had to go down a dirt road to get to it. As they approached the house Angel stopped for a moment and called the number of the people he had rented the house from.

The Jenkins were Americans that had moved to Ireland where Mrs. Jenkins was originally from. They sunk their money into buying up small run down homes and fixing them up then renting them out to Americans on vacation. The homes were advertised as being very historic in nature and the only modern devices in the homes were the bathrooms and refrigerators. The stoves were wood burning stoves and homes were kept warm by fireplaces. The renters were encouraged to light the houses with the multitude of oil lamps and candles instead of the few electric lights that were provided. Angel and his family had to wait for 30 minutes before the Jenkins came. When they finally arrived they could see why it took them so long. They were riding a horse drawn cart that had only 2 wheels.

Everyone got out of the van and approached them. "Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins I presume." Angel put out his hand. "Yes, Angel Martin?" "Yes." Angel said then Mr. Jenkins took Angels offered hand and shook it. Angel introduced the rest of his party. "Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins this is my wife Cordelia, my mom Dr. Martin and my son Connor. Guys this is Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins they own this house that we are renting for the next 2 weeks. If you notice that they don't have an Irish accent it's because they are Americans that came here to retire."

"Let us show you your house." The Jenkins led everyone into the house. Angel noticed that they didn't even have to unlock the door. The house he had rented was a 2 story house with a thatched roof and white walls on the outside with a deep green trim. The door was a dutch door that was split in two so that the top could be open and the bottom closed. They showed Angel and Connor how to take care of the fire places and where the wood was kept. Mrs. Jenkins showed Cordelia and Dr. Martin how to use the kitchen stove and start a fire in it. She also showed them how to wash dishes wash clothes and iron. Much to Cordelia's and Dr. Martins relief though Mrs. Jenkins said she would send a woman around twice each week to see if they wanted their clothes cleaned and ironed. The woman that would come had her own washer and dryer. Mrs. Jenkins said that they learned early on that today's materials were not made to stand up to the old way of washing.

The Jenkins continued to show the Martins the rest of house. The upstairs bedrooms all had their own fireplaces and the master bedroom was the only room with a balcony and a shower. Dr. Martin and Connor had to share a bathroom that was between their two bedrooms.

Next the Martin family was led outside to the barn where they had 4 horses stabled and a cart that was big enough to carry all four of them if they wanted. Angel had wanted his family to see how he used to live when he was a young man. He had been so happy when Willow had said she found Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins advertisement in the Galway yellow pages. They had it listed under

Bed & Breakfast and listing historic homes to rent also. Angel had made the call to rent the house and had talked to Mr. Jenkins for awhile about the house. He had asked about any animals that would be around. Mr. Jenkins had offered the use of a cow so that they could have fresh milk, chickens for eggs and horses for either riding or pulling a cart.

Mr. Jenkins gave Angel the keys but told him that the town is very quiet and most people feel safe in leaving the doors unlocked. After the Jenkins left Angel turned to everyone and asked "Well, what do you think?" Their was silence for a few minutes. Connor was the first to speak up.

"Hey Maw. When is dinner? I am mighty hungry after plowing the south forty today. Come on paw lets go kill us a mess of possum for the pot tonight." "Knock it off." Cordelia said. "Lets get in the van to go to town. We have to do some shopping because there isn't anything on the shelves and the refrigerator is running but nothing is in it. So Paw get that youngun of yours and lets get going. Common granny before these 2 completely go back to the 17th century." Connor and Angel were practically laughing their heads off. Cordelia knew that this was going to turn out to be a rotten deal and she was going to make him pay when they got home. Women worked far more than men did back than (as they do now). While the women were working their hands raw the men were going to be having the time of their lives.

When they arrived in the small town they went to what seemed to be the local grocery store. It only took them 20 minutes to do the shopping in what passed for the market then the next stop was the butcher. Ground hamburger, pork chops, steaks, and a lamb crown roast was bought. Cordelia asked about fresh pigs blood for a recipe that an Irish friend had given her. "I am sorry Mrs. Martin but we won't have any fresh pigs blood until next week Monday when we do the butchering for the week." The butcher said. "Okay, put me down for 2 gallons next Monday. Thank you." They all loaded up in the van again and left for their new temporary home.

"Your going to have to do your shopping for blood elsewhere Angel. They don't do their butchering until next week Monday." Cordelia said.

"Well I guess I have no choice but to go shopping tonight. You want to go night shopping with me tonight Connor?" Angel asked. "Yeah, Tarzan and boy go shopping tonight. Tarzan show boy how to wrestle great water buffalo to the ground." Cordelia and Angel just looked at each other. "Your son is becoming quiet the comedian." "Like father like son." Angel said with a grin on his face.

Angel pulled the van up to the side of the house that opened up to the kitchen. Everyone got out and helped to take the packages into the house and put them away. They spent the rest of their time getting settled in. Angel started a fire in the living room and showed Cordelia and Dr. Martin how to start a fire in the stove. Cordelia and Dr. Martin each tried to pump water that went into the kitchen sink. At first they had to use both hands to raise and lower the pump handle. For now they just filled up a tea kettle so they could have tea.

"Angel and Connor come over here please and help us shell the peas. Granny is going to peel the potatoes and I am going to start the stove so we can have some pork chops. Before you do that though Angel would you fill up a pan full of water to boil the potatoes in. Cordelia pulled down a cook book that Mrs. Jenkins had given her. It showed how the women used to cook without all of the modern conveniences. Along with the book Mrs. Jenkins gave Cordelia a container full of yeast that had to be kept alive by using some of the original batch to make more. She said that the original yeast had been started back in 1735 and that the women of the town were quit proud of their little batch of yeast.

While the stove was warming up Cordelia started a batch of bisquits to go with the rest of the meal. Tomorrow morning she would have to start several loaves of bread.

Within 2 hours they had prepared their dinner and eaten it. Angel had eaten only a small amount since he had to go shopping later in the evening.

"That was an excellent meal Cordelia. You did a real good job with the biscuits." Dr. Martin said as she leaned back in her chair and sipped at her tea.

"Yeah, if the Sunnydale gang saw her they would feint." Angel said with a smile.

"Yes, I noticed that. It seems like every time Willow, Buffy, and Xander saw Cordelia doing something domestic, as they called it, they seemed to be in shock as though she was retarded or something and they didn't think she was capable of such things." Dr. Martin said. Cordelia and Angel were laughing.

"When I was in high school I kept a certain amount of distance between anything domestic and my person. Poor Angel and Wesley sometimes they would have rather fight a demon then drink my coffee."

"So did you go to school to learn to cook or did Angel teach you?" Dr. Martin asked. "Angel taught me some and the rest I learned from cook books and watching cooking shows. Right now though I need one of these big strong men to fill up a couple of buckets with water and put them on the stove to heat up so we can clean up in here."

"Connor would you get that please? I'm to weak from lack of blood." Angel said as he put on a show to emphasize what he had said.

Connor got up and pumped the water into 2 buckets then put them on the stove to heat up. He threw a couple more sticks of wood in the stove to get it going again. The water heaters that were in the house were only for the bathrooms so everything for the kitchen had to be heated on the stove.

Angel was watching Connor. When he was done Angel asked him "Do you know how to ride a horse Connor?"

"We had something like them in Quartoth but they were all wild and I would only ride them when I could catch them."

"How about you Mom, ever ride a horse?" "No, I never had the chance. I'm afraid it's the buggy for me." "Well I know Cordy knows how to ride but is it safe for her in her condition?"

Angel asked as he grabbed onto Cordelia as she walked by. He put his head over her womb so he could listen to Kathleen's heartbeat. Cordelia put her hand on his head and put her head back and concentrated on listening through the link.

Angel raised his head "Her heartbeat is strong and getting stronger." Angel said as he looked up into Cordelia's eyes.

"How good of a horse rider where you Cordelia?" Dr. Martin asked.

"I used to compete in dressage." "Then I don't think you should have a problem then. Let's finish cleaning the kitchen first though." Dr. Martin said as she got up to help Cordelia. Working together it only took them 30 minutes to finish up. Cordelia went up stairs to change and Angel, Connor, and Dr. Martin went to the barn to get the horses ready. Angel showed Connor how to hitch up the horse to the cart then showed him how to saddle the horses. Cordelia came out at that time with a jar of honey.

Angel backed the horse out of the stall. It was fighting him a little and almost reared when he touched him. "Why is she fighting you?" Connor asked.

"She senses what I am or rather who I carry with me. It's the main reason why I don't keep any animals around me. The horses that Darla and I would steal couldn't wait to get away from us."

Angel was having a hard time getting the horse to take the bit. "Here Angel let me put some honey on it. It's how I would get my horse to take the bit. I spoiled him rotten. It got so bad that he would sniff the bit first and if it didn't have honey on it then he wouldn't take it." Cordelia poured a little honey on the bit then held it against the horses teeth. She sniffed at it carefully then when she opened her mouth to lick it Cordelia pushed the bit in her mouth. The mare didn't mind being saddled after that because she was contentedly playing with the bit and trying to get all of the honey off of it.

Angel continued then with showing Connor how to saddle the mare. When he was done he watched Connor saddle the other one. When Connor was done Angel helped Cordelia mount her horse. She took her through a few moves to see how she responded.

"Common Mom, get in." Angel reached out for Dr. Martins hand and she climbed into the front seat. Connor got in on the other side. Angel mounted his horse. "Take her around in a circle Connor and lets see how good you are at the reins." Connor directed the horse around the house.

Angel was satisfied that he knew what he was doing. "You are obviously an old pro Connor so lets go. If we should leave your sight for awhile just keep going down the road. I'll be checking out the fields for sheep and then we'll catch up with you."

Angel and Cordelia headed off at a slow pace. They passed several fields full of sheep and some cows. Unfortunately their were too many houses near by. Angel spotted an opening in between fences. He yelled to Cordelia, "Lets go over here and check it out."

Ireland was covered with rocks and the farmers throughout the years put them to good use by making fences. Most of the fences were low but high enough to either keep sheep or cows in or out and were easily jumped by a horse. Cordelia called out to Angel "Lets play follow the leader." Angel yelled at her "Cordelia no," but she had already kicked her heels into her mares sides and headed for the fences. Angel had no choice but to go after her. They jumped one fence after the other. After crossing four sections of land and all of their fences Cordelia found herself on the top of a hill. This is where she stopped and got off. Angel came up behind her as she was checking her horses legs to make sure they were okay after jumping so many fences.

"Now that would be a mighty tempting sight if I didn't feel like spanking you for taking off like you did." "Aw come on Angel lighten up a bit. Have fun. Let your hair down. Do something unusual." She jumped on him and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Angel fell backwards and they landed on the ground.

"We can't do that out here in the open Cordy. What if someone comes along?" "I know doesn't it turn you on even more." She started kissing him and running her hands through his shirt and down his pants. When Cordelia did that Angel pushed her off of him.

"Cordelia Chase Martin get up from there." Angel pulled her up but Cordelia just started again. He picked her up and put her on her horse. "What do I have to do with you? Tie you up."

"Ewwwww, kinky. Sounds like fun." "Cordy!" Angel was surprised at how she was acting.

"Angel my hormones are crying out for sex and you won't give me any."

"Well now you know how I've felt for the past 10 years with Buffy and than with you." When Angel saw the look on her face when he said that he knew he was in the dog house because all of a sudden she had the Queen C look. Cordelia pulled her horses head around and took off back to the road. Angel got on his horse and took off after her. As he was going through the fields he noticed a small heard of sheep and no one in sight. He would have to come back tonight with the empty milk bottles. Angel reached the road right after Cordelia did. Instead of stopping though she kept going after Connor and Dr. Martin.

When they caught up to them they just rode in silence for awhile. Connor finally spoke up.

"Did you find what you where looking for Dad?" "Yeah, we can come back around midnight. Mom by any chance do you remember the street name my families farm house was on?"

"Yes, I have it in my little black book. I also have the number." "Do you know who owns it?"

Angel asked.

"No, I wasn't interested in looking up that information at the time. We can probably check it out in the public records tomorrow." "Lets do that. Nothing looks familiar to me. Lets go back now. It'll be dark in another hour. Why don't you try driving the cart on the way back Mom."

"Yeah Grandma, it's easy." Connor gave Dr. Martin the reins. "Pull back gently to make her stop, now gently pull just the right reins to make her turn to the right. She responds well to a light touch." Dr. Martin was a little nervous at first but she quickly became accustomed to holding the reins and directing the horse. After 15 minutes she even became relaxed and let the horse go at it's own chosen speed. Cordelia and Angel were in the front so the little mare just followed the other two horses.

As they approached the house Angel, out of habit, cautiously pulled into the barnyard. His eyes were constantly moving over his surroundings. Cordelia and Dr. Martin looked at each other. They were both wondering what was wrong.

"Angel, is their something wrong?" "No Mom, I guess it's just out of habit. I haven't survived for almost 300 years by being careless. Please just ignore me. I'll be alright." Angel had dismounted and opened the doors to the barn wide enough for Dr. Martin to drive the horse in. Angel placed his horse in his stall and left it saddled since he was going out in a few hours.

He watched Dr. Martin directing the little mare to position the cart in it's storage area. She got down and started to unharness the horse. Connor and Angel just looked at each other. They were surprised at her skill in maneuvering the horse.

"Common Grandma, you must have been around horses before. You did that like a pro." Connor said as he started to help her unharness the horse and put her into her stall.

"No I never have been around horses until today. What I do very well though is watch other people doing things. I guess you could say that photographic memories run in the Martin family."

"Then how come I don't have it?" Connor asked. He put the harness away and grabbed a rag and began to wipe down the mare. "I don't know Connor but I can say that my fathers, father had it but it skipped my fathers generation."

Cordelia had gone back into the house already. Connor and Dr. Martin had noticed that Cordelia was mad about something. When Dr. Martin went into the house Connor asked Angel "I noticed that Cordelia seems to be mad about something, what did you do?"

"What do you mean what did I do, what makes you think that I did something to make her mad?" "Because every time she's mad it's because you either said something or did something to make her mad." Connor said as they walked back to the house.

"Well it was a little of both this time and it's not what I did but more of what I didn't do. She wanted to have sex right out in the open and at the top of the hill. When I said no she started to get mad. She said her hormones where crying out for sex and I wouldn't give it to her. Of course I then stupidly came back with 'Now you know how I felt for the past 10 years with Buffy and then with you.' That is what put the last nail in the dog house." Angel hit his head with his hand several times. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. I don't know when or if I will ever learn not to mention Buffy's name. It's a button that I know Cordelia has that is very sensitive." Angel looked at Connor and stopped him and put his hands on him. "Connor I am going to tell you about a really devastating curse that we Martins have to suffer and endure." "And what is that Dad?" Connor asked with a grin. "We Martins have the curse of being seen as beautiful people by other people, and we Martin men sometimes get ourselves caught between two women. The second is always jealous of the first." "Well Dad if I were you I would spend some extra special quality time with her tonight otherwise the Queen C demon might come out." "Wait a minute Connor I just remembered we have to feed the animals. It should only take us a few minutes." Connor and Angel went back into the barn. Angel fed the cow while Connor fed the chickens that had congregated in the barn as well since their was no chicken coop. They fed 2 of the horses grain and hay and the 2 that they were going to be using that night they only fed one half of a leaf of hay.

"It looks like your going to get a lesson in how to milk a cow Connor. Her udder is full and she has to be milked now. I'm going to see if there is a pale inside that I can use to put the milk in. I'll be back in a few minutes." Angel went back to the house while Connor finished feeding.

"Cordelia have you seen a bucket in here that I can put the milk from the cow in?" Angel asked as nicely as he could. He had to be as sweet as possible if he was to share her bed tonight. Cordelia had been making the next days bread when he came in but she dropped what she was doing and took the pale out and washed it with some hot water she had on the stove. When she handed it to him she gave him a sweet smile to let him know he was out of the dog house. Fortunately Cordelia's hormones were on the upswing now. "Wait a minute Angel. Mom you want to go and see Angel milk the cow?" "Yeah, lets see how good of a farmer he is." They both followed Angel back to the barn. Angel had taken a warm cloth back with him to the barn so that he could clean off the cows tits. He reached for the small stool and put it next to the cow and sat down then put the bucket under the cow. He wiped all four tits off and started. It took him a few tries before he was able to get anything but once he remembered how to do it the milk came out easily. After a few minutes when he had relieved the pressure in the poor cows udder he asked Connor if he wanted to try it. "Yeah!" Connor answered excitedly. Angel got up and let Connor sit down on the milking stool. He showed Connor how to move his hands in order to get the milk out. It took him a few tries but he finally got the moves down pat and continued to almost fill the bucket. When he couldn't get anymore he wiped the tits again and put the stool up on the hook. Angel led her back into her stall and gave her a leaf of alfalfa hay.

"Well that's it until tomorrow morning farmer Connor." Angel said as they walked back to the house.

"Now what are we going to do with it?" Cordelia asked as Connor put the pale on the kitchen table. "Well what happened to it after I gave it to my Mother I don't know. I do know though that she let it sit for awhile then skimmed the cream off of the top to make butter and cream for coffee. Maybe there are some instructions in that cook book that Mrs. Jenkins gave you or you could take a ride over to her house tomorrow and ask her." Angel said as he sat down at the table and pulled a chunk of bread off of the loaf of bread they had bought at the store.

Cordelia pulled the cook book out and Dr. Martin started looking through it for instruction on how to handle the fresh milk. Cordelia finished the bread dough and put it on the counter and covered it with a couple of layers of towels. Tomorrow morning she would put it on the top shelf of the stove so that it would rise. For now though it would be cold enough in the kitchen to keep it from rising to much. Dr. Martin couldn't find anything in the cook book so Cordelia called Mrs. Jenkins for her advice. When she got off of the phone she went to the table and picked up the pale of milk and poured it down the drain. She carefully cleaned the pale and put it on the counter with a towel over it to keep dust out of it.

"Why did you do that?" Connor asked. "Mrs. Jenkins said it was best to throw it out. She'll come over tomorrow and show us how to handle the milk. She advised me not to drink any of it since I was pregnant. They are going to bring a couple of calves over tomorrow to help use up the cows milk. That way it won't go to waste." Cordelia went to the refrigerator. "I want a beer Angel but I don't want a whole bottle do you want the other half?"

"I will take you up on the offer my dear young beautiful wife." "How about you Connor?" "Yes please, do you want to share mine Grandma?" "That sounds good. It will help me relax so I can sleep tonight." Dr. Martin said as she got up to get 2 glasses for herself and Cordelia.

When Cordelia gave Angel his bottle she bent forward and whispered into his ear. "I'm sorry I was being such a witch. All I can say in my defense is that it's your daughters fault. She's the one that's making me feel this way. Do you forgive me?" "Of course I do. How could I possibly stay mad at Gods gift to me." Angel gave her a kiss. Then drank his beer.

Dr. Martin got up from the table. "I guess I will go to bed now. It has been a long day and I still have my prayers to do. Goodnight everyone." Dr. Martin got three goodnights in return.

"Lets go upstairs Cordy. I haven't done mine either. I'll meet you down here in 1 hour Connor." Connor nodded at him. He drank the rest of his beer then went upstairs for a short nap.

One hour later his internal clock woke him up. He went into the bathroom to relieve himself and splashed some water on his face. Then he quietly went downstairs. Angel came out of his bedroom a few seconds later. He was holding some plastic tubing and a needle to extract the blood. They went outside before talking.

"Grandma must have talked to Cordelia for her to apologize like that." Angel said as they walked to the barn. "It sure is nice to have her with us at times like this."

"Why does Cordelia do that when she knows it's wrong." Connor asked.

"Well the way Spike explained it to me is that when a woman is pregnant her body is spending so much time providing for the baby that's growing inside her that she can't think straight because her hormones are firing off much more than what her body is used to. She kind of overdoses on hormones and her mind has a hard time dealing with it. Some parts are used to much smaller amounts of certain hormones and some parts aren't used to dealing with it at all. But between you and me Connor I think he was pulling my leg a little. When I get a chance I am going to ask Mom to explain it to you and I since you will have to deal with this one day also."

"I'm sure glad that women have the baby's instead of us." Connor said after thinking about what Angel had told him. By this time they were at the barn and were backing their horses out of their stalls. They both mounted and took off down the road. Angel was watching Connor. He was impressed that his son rode so well. Apparently the animals they had in Qurtoth were very similar to horses because he took to horseback riding like he had always done it.

At first they traveled at a brisk pace until the area they were approaching looked familiar. Angel slowed his horse down until they found the opening between the fences, he kicked his horse with his heels so she would start running and build up enough speed to clear the stone fences that started just a short distance from the road. On the 3rd jump Angel spotted the sheep. He pulled his horse up to a stop and dismounted. Connor did the same. Angel quickly caught one of the sheep.

"Connor come here and hold it while I put the needle in and get some of the blood." Angel hit a vein on the first try. He only took half a gallon of blood then told Connor to let it go. Connor let it go and quickly grabbed another. They went through this routine until Angel had filled up one jug and had the other jug half full when Connor heard two shots ring out. He saw Angel fall backwards. He quickly let go of the sheep and went to Angels side.

"Angel." Connor shook his father. "Dad you have to get up the owners are coming." Angel opened his eyes. "Put everything over on the other side of the fence then come back here and help me up." Connor did as Angel said and hid them in the grass on the other side of the rock fence. He went back to Angel and helped him to stand up. He leaned heavily on Connor at first but as the owners approached he stood up straight.

"Thank goodness their isn't any moon tonight otherwise they would have been able to see us more clearly." Connor said as he helped Angel. "I am going to tell them that we were going for a midnight ride when we saw a large dog or wolf attacking theirr sheep. We scared it away but when they fired their gun at us they scared your horse who reared and threw you off and you dislocated your shoulder. Does that sound good to you?" "Okay." Angel was in a lot of pain but he gathered his strength and was able to remain standing. At first he leaned heavily on Connor. When the men arrived they had their guns raised at Angel and Connor.

"Wait a minute guys were your neighbors." Connor said as he raised his hands.

"I'm Angel Martin and this is my son Connor." Angel stopped talking because of the pain and Connor took over. "We were just out for a midnight ride and came across something attacking your sheep. When you fired at us my dads horse got scared and threw him. It feels like he dislocated his shoulder." The men looked at the 2 strangers suspiciously.

"You're the American renting the Jenkins house?" "Yes." Angel answered.

Finally the older man reached out his hand to shake Angels and Connors hand. Angel winced when the older man shook his hand vigorously.

"Thank you for chasing the dog away. I'm Bob Dunnagin and this is my son Jimmy. I hear an Irish accent in your voice Mr. Martin. Are you from Ireland?" "Yes I was born here but I went to America a long time ago. I brought my family here on vacation and we just got in today. We are renting the house up the road from Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins for the next 2 weeks." Connor noticed Angel sway a little. "I'm sorry Mr. Dunnagin but I need to get my father home so we can get his shoulder fixed."

"Don't you want to take him to the Doctor to get his shoulder fixed?" Mr. Dunnagin asked. "No my grandmother is a Doctor and he has done it several times before so that his shoulder pops out of place easily now. Would you help me get him up on his horse though?" Connor asked as he helped Angel over to his horse. Bob and Jimmy helped Angel onto his horse then gave him the reins. Jimmy went to the gate and opened it for them. Then walked to the other two gates and opened them also. Connor told him thank you and he led Angels horse back to the barn. Connor went to the back door at the kitchen instead of the front.

Connor dismounted and went to Angel. "Come on Dad we're home." Angel looked at Connor as though he didn't recognize him. He then leaned forward so he could get off of the horse, but he ended up falling into Connors arms. They sat on the ground for a few minutes while Angel rested. He started to get up and with his sons help he made it to the back door. Connor sat him down on the kitchen table and laid him on his back.

"Cordelia, Grandma come down stairs Angels been hurt." He was helping Angel take his jacket and shirt off when he heard them come running down the stairs. Dr. Martin had her medical bag with her. Angel took one look at her then he promptly lost consciousness.

"What happened?" Cordelia asked as she put the large tea pot on the stove. She threw a few pieces of wood in the stove to get it warmer in the kitchen and to heat up the water. When they finished taking Angels shirt off Dr. Martin examined the wounds. One of the bullets had gone into his right hip and felt like it was positioned right against the hip bone. The other bullet had hit his left shoulder and was still in it. She wasn't concerned with the one in his shoulder so much as she was concerned with the one in his hip. Dr. Martin got the instruments out that she would need and put them in a pan of hot water.

Cordelia came over with a bowl of hot water and started to clean Angels wounds up. Angel was starting to regain consciousness again. Dr. Martin came over to him 'Angel you just can't stay out of trouble can you?' "If I didn't get into trouble once in awhile you wouldn't get to practice your medical skills." Angel said. "Well we have a little problem here that I am going to let you tell me what you want me to do. You have one bullet in your left shoulder and that one isn't to bad. I'm going to take it out in a second. The one in your left hip though is a problem. I think it's sitting against your hip bone and I think it has moved from it's original spot. If I try taking it out now I'll be probing with blinders on. My question to you is do you want to wait to get home to do this or do you want to do it now?" "Lets do it now. I can tell you if your hot or cold." "Angel are you sure about that? Your going to be conscious and your going to be in a lot of pain."

Angel raised himself on his elbow and grabbed Dr. Martins arm. "Mom, I've been tortured and then crucified and I survived. It can't possibly be any worse. Please take it out." He lowered himself back down. He was breathing hard and the towel they had put against his wounds started to become red with his blood. "Okay Angel, calm down. Concentrate on slowing your breathing and heart rate down. Your going to make yourself bleed out. Help him Cordelia while I get ready."

Cordelia held Angels hand and wiped his forehead with a cool cloth. Angel closed his eyes and concentrated on slowing his heart rate down. "Do you remember when you sat down in the rocking chair in your room when Connor was a baby and I put him in your arms and you fed him his first bottle. Think of that time Angel. Think of the love that grew in your heart for your son. I could practically see the soft blue color of your aura. You were at peace with the world as you rocked your son. When he started to fuss a little you started to sing the Irish Lullaby to him very softly and he slowly closed his eyes. He felt safe and loved in his daddy's arms." Cordelia ran her hand over Angels hair. He closed his eyes and you could see him slowly gain control of his breathing. Cordelia let go of his hand and checked his wounds. The bleeding had slowed down and was almost stopped on his shoulder.

Dr. Martin brought her sterilized instruments over. She lifted the towel on Angels shoulder. "I'm going to start now Angel are you ready?" "Yes, go ahead." Dr. Martin put the forceps into his shoulder and was easily able to grasp the bullet and pull it out without any problem.

"Cordelia clean his shoulder and bandage it please." As Cordelia started to work on Angels shoulder Dr. Martin went to the other side and started on his hip. She placed the forceps into the wound and went straight down. "Move it down just a little towards my leg." Angel was holding his breath. Dr. Martin felt the tip of the forceps hit the bullet. She opened the forceps a quarter of an inch which caused Angel more pain. He let out the breath he had been holding and started breathing heavily again. She carefully grabbed the bullet and pulled it out. She showed it to Angel then threw it into the bowl with the other one.

"Where is Connor?" Angel asked. "He went back to get the jugs of blood. He should be back at any minute." Cordelia answered as she cleaned up the blood from his hip and bandaged it. Just as she finished Connor came inside carrying the blood. He put one of the jugs in the refrigerator and the other one he used to pour some blood in a glass for Angel. He helped him to sit up. "Here Dad drink this. It's the lambs blood and it's still warm." Angel drank the whole glass then asked for more. When he was finished he said 'Thank you Connor. That was good. I think I'll ask David if I could keep a small herd of sheep on his property. It's a good change of pace. I used to drink sheep blood all of the time when I was traveling the countryside by myself."

"I need to go and unsaddle and feed the horses Cordelia do you want Angel on the couch or upstairs?" "Let's put him on the couch for tonight. I don't think he could make it upstairs right now." Cordelia answered as she came to help him. They laid Angel on the couch then Connor went outside to tend to the horses and Cordelia finished cleaning the kitchen. When she was done she went upstairs and got their pillows and sheets and several quilts. She carefully made a bed out of all of the sheets, blankets and quilts on the rug in front of the fireplace. Dr. Martin helped Cordelia get Angel up from the couch and helped him to lay down on the floor. "Thank you Mom I can take care of him from now. Goodnight." Dr. Martin kneeled down by Angel and felt his forehead. It was cool to the touch so she gave a sigh of relief. "I guess that talk that Christ gave Angelus has stopped him permanently from causing Angel any more problems. Goodnight Cordelia." Dr. Martin went upstairs then.

Connor came back 15 minutes later. "Everything okay now Cordy?" Connor asked when he noticed the blankets on the floor. As he approached them he then saw Angel was on the floor also. "Everything is okay now. Mom was able to get both bullets out and he has already started to heal. Can I get you anything to eat Connor? You must be hungry after all of the activity tonight." Cordelia asked as she continued to make Angel comfortable. "I think I'll make a sandwich for myself then I'll go upstairs." Connor went into the kitchen and made himself a large sandwich and grabbed a can of Pepsi then went to all of the lamps and blew them out. He put another log on the fireplace for Cordelia and Angel then turned the one electric light out and headed for the stairs. "Goodnight Cordy. Don't hesitate to call me if you need me." "Goodnight Connor." When Connor finally left Cordelia took her robe off and got under the sheets and blanket and laid down next to Angel. She felt his forehead and Angel reached for her hand and held on to it. He went to sleep then knowing that she was next to him. Cordelia fell asleep also.

The next morning Angel woke up early and flexed his shoulder. It was stiff but completely healed. He pulled the top of his shorts down a little and lifted the bandage. The bullet hole had new skin over it although it was still a little red around the edges. He got up on his knees and crawled over to the fireplace where he stirred the wood up and placed 3 more logs on the fire. Then he crawled back under the covers. The fire felt good on his back. He cuddled up to Cordelia and went back to sleep for another couple of hours.

Without warning Cordelia jumped up and ran for the kitchen. She threw a few small pieces of wood into the stove after stirring the embers and stuffing a piece of a newspaper into the fire. The paper quickly caught fire and then the small pieces of wood caught fire. When those were burning she threw a couple of larger pieces of wood on top of it then replaced the covers for the top of the stove. She pulled her bowl of dough out from under the towels on the counter and placed it on the top shelf of the stove and placed just one towel on top of it so that it wouldn't develop a crust and prevent the dough from rising. She ran back to their makeshift bed and quickly crawled under the covers with Angel.

"It's a good thing your body warms up a little when you've been under the covers for awhile otherwise I might throw you out." Cordelia told Angel as she cuddled up to him. Angel tried putting his arm around her but it was still to sore so he just put his head on her chest and raised his arm up as high as he could to wrap her in his arms. They went back to sleep then until he felt the blanket being pulled up higher and covering Angels head. They woke up then and Angel pulled the blanket down.

"What's the matter Mom?" Angel looked at her with one eye opened and the other closed.

"Angel, Connor has already come through here so that he could take care of the animals. Since you had your head on Cordelia's chest she had the blanket down by her waist and Connor got a good look at one of the twins." Cordelia was awake also and when she heard Dr. Martin say that she jumped up and ran upstairs to get dressed. Twenty minutes later she came back down with a brush. "Mom would you brush my hair for me and put it into a ponytail. The skin around my breasts are starting to get sore and I can't raise my arms up high enough." "Sure Cordelia come and sit down at the table so I can brush your hair." Cordelia sat down and let Dr. Martin slowly brush her hair.

When she was done Cordelia thanked her and got up to check her bread dough. It was rising nicely so she formed it into a loaf and started up the oven so that she could bake it. After forming it into a loaf and putting it into a greased pan she placed it back up on the shelf to rise a second time. Then she went to check on Angel. He had wrapped the quilt around himself and slowly made his way up the stairs. Cordelia found him taking a long hot bath.

"How are you feeling?" "A lot better than I did last night." Angel said as he started to bathe himself. "Okay, do you think you can dress yourself without any problem?" "Yeah, I'll be down in about 20 minutes." Cordelia bent down and gave him a kiss then left.

By the time Connor and Angel came to the kitchen Cordelia's bread was in the oven baking and she and Dr. Martin were cutting up some fruit to have with their breakfast. Connor grabbed himself and Angel a cup of coffee and they sat down at the table. "Well farmer Connor how are the livestock doing?" Angel asked as he drank his coffee. "Just fine Pa. I milked our cow without any problems Pa but it sure does vex me something awful Pa that I have to just throw that milk out. I hope the Jenkins can bring those calves over pretty soon Pa." They all laughed at the way Connor was talking. Angel pulled the straw hat that Connor was wearing over his eyes.

Dr. Martin scrambled up a half dozen eggs with onions and placed it on the table in a bowl. Cordelia served up her freshly baked bread with plenty of butter and jelly. She warmed up Angels blood on the stove then brought it over to him along with the fruit Dr. Martin had helped her cut up earlier.

"So what are we going to do today Mr. Martin?" Cordelia asked as she tried pulling her legs up on the chair. But her stomach was starting to stick out more so her attempts were unproductive. "I want to see if we can find my old home. How soon can you all be ready?" Angel asked. "I think if you helped Mom clean the dishes while I clean up the rest of the kitchen we should be ready in about 73 minutes, I mean 20 minutes." Cordelia gave Angel her million dollar smile as he called it. "Okay I think the "3" of us will have this cleaned up in no time at all." Angel said with his own smile playing across his face. He noticed Cordelia didn't even flinch at the number 3 that he had emphasized when he said it.

When they were done with the kitchen the ladies went upstairs to change. When they came down they each had long skirts on with oversized blouses that would keep them warm. Dr. Martin had her hair up in a bun and Cordelia ,with Dr. Martins help, had her hair pulled back and being held with a large clip. "I thought we were going to take the horses out." Angel said. "Angel you aren't ready to go horseback riding yet." Dr. Martin said as she put a large scarf on her head and wrapped it around her shoulder. "I feel fine, see all healed." Angel said as he pulled his shirt off of his shoulder to show her where the bullet had gone in. "Angel that one isn't the problem, the one that isn't healed all of the way is this one." Dr. Martin approached him and pressed her thumb on the one that was in front of his hip bone. "Ouch! Okay I get your point. But tomorrow Connor and I get to go and have some male bonding." "Don't count on it. Did you forget that this is Sunday. The last Mass is at 12:30. Let's get going so we aren't the last ones going through the door after mass starts." Dr. Martin led the way to the Mini Van and they all loaded up.

Angel found the church easily. They had made it just in time. Dr. Martin lead the group in and to the front of the pews and just in time for mass to start. After mass they went to see the pastor and asked if the church had all of the old records of the families that lived in the village back in the 1700's. "Yes, but do you have any idea as to where the property is that you want to see or investigate?" "All I know is that it was called the Martin farm back in the first half of the 1700's. We thought it might be on the tax rolls or else in the old records of the church that would show records of births or deaths." Angel asked the old Pastor.

"Come with me." They followed him to the kitchen where the priest told them to have a seat and that he would be right back with the books for those years. He was back in a few minutes with 2 very old looking large ledger type books which he carefully laid down on the table in front of Angel. "Please be careful as you turn the pages, they are very old and brittle. Would anyone like some hot cocoa or coffee?" They all answered no and started looking through the pages. Angel started looking through the pages that were dated for 1727 which was his birth year. Dr. Martin took the book that was for the last 50 years in the 1700's. She started with the pages marked for 1753 which was the year Angel was turned into a Vampire by Darla. They kept their voices down so that the priest couldn't hear them. Cordelia was looking through the 1700 to 1750 book with Angel and Connor was looking through the 1750 to 1799 book that Dr. Martin was looking through.

"It's weird thinking that my father and mother were alive when these old books were new and births and deaths were being recorded in them for the first time." Connor whispered to Dr. Martin. After a few minutes Connor called out 'Here it is.' Connor brought the book over to Angel and showed him where there was a notation for his death and the funeral. The book had his name along with 'Son of John Martin of 27 Darnell Lane.' Angel looked up to everyone else and said 'Now all we have to do is find out where 27 Darnell Lane is.' He picked up the books and went into the living room where the priest was sitting and reading the local newspaper and having a small glass of brandy.

"Fr. John were done with the books. Can you tell me where 27 Darnell Lane is?" Fr. John came and took the books from Angel and put them on the dining room table. "Come with me to the front and I'll show you." They all followed him to the front porch. "Turn to your right as you get on the road then the first dirt road that you come to on your left will be Darnell Lane. There is only one way to turn on that road. Keep going on that road until you come to the end. I'm not 100 positive but I believe that the road ends at 27 Darnell Lane. That house has been empty since 1753 but someone in the Martin family has been paying the taxes all these years. In order to find out who paid the last taxes you will have to wait until tomorrow when the county office is open. They will have the records on the farm." "Thank you very much Father for all of your help." Angel shook his hand then they all got into the van and Angel followed the priests directions.

Thirty minutes later after following a barely discernable road they came to the end of Darnell Lane. Angel turned the motor off and just sat there for a while. He just stared at the old house. After awhile he finally spoke. "This is it. This is the house where I was born. This is the house where I killed my family." Cordelia put her hand on Angels right hand and rubbed the palm of his hand where Dr. Martins ring had been burned into his skin. Angel looked at Cordelia and said 'I mean where Angelus killed my family.' He bent down and brought her hand to his lips and kissed her hand. "Lets go."

They got out of the van and walked up to the house. Angels birthplace was run down and the walls were barely standing. The roof had long ago given way. "Cordelia and Mom, stay out here. Connor and I will check to see if it's safe for you to go in. I doubt it though because it looks like the roof caved in." The women stayed on the outside while the men went in. As he thought, the roof had caved in but the first floor was still in tact since the second floor had held up over the years. "Connor tell the women they can come in. I think it's safe enough on the first floor."

When Cordelia and Dr. Martin came in they found Angel standing in front of the fireplace. He was just staring at it. In particular he was staring at the corner next to the fireplace. Cordelia put her hand on Connor and Dr. Martins arm. "I think that's where Angelus killed Angels sister."

They went to the other side of the room and looked into the sitting room. Connor tried the hand pump by the kitchen sink. It was just like the one they had in the house they were staying in. On the second downward push of the pump handle it broke off. The bolts holding the handle to the pump were all rusted and had just fallen apart. Cordelia opened the cabinets to see if their was any dishes or glasses in them. To her surprise she found a number of dishes and cups still in the cabinets. She reached for one odd looking cup. When she touched it a large spider came running out of it. She screamed and Angel came running. "What's wrong?" Cordelia had jumped back so quickly that she ran into Dr. Martin and they would have fallen if it hadn't been for Connor standing behind Dr. Martin. "It's a huge spider. It was in the cup that I wanted to look at." Angel reached for the cup and looked inside to make sure the spider was gone. He looked at it and turned it around. Then he turned it upside down. Without warning he smiled and the tears started coming down. "It's a cup that Kathleen made for me. See, she put my name and hers on it." Angel showed them the names that his sister had carved in it. He gave the cup to Cordelia to put in her bag.

"We better get out of here. There is no telling what else may be in here." They all went out and Angel carefully closed the doors. He looked around the house to the back. He spotted a large tree that was so big it looked like it was several century's old. He started walking towards it with Cordelia in tow. The ground was a little soggy from the snow that had melted so Connor held on to his grandmothers hand to help her walk through it.

Angel stopped in front of the tree. He let go of Cordelia's hand and started walking around the tree and carefully checked the ground for something. "What are you looking for Angel?" Cordelia asked. "I'm looking for my mothers grave marker. My father paid a man to carve a headstone for my mothers grave. He had carved it out of marble so it should have held up over the years." They all started to look under the huge tree. "Here it is." Angel said softly as he came to a stop over a stone that had been broken in half. He picked up the other half and sat it up straight so that he could read the words on the front. Everyone came to his side. Angel cleaned off the stone with his handkerchief. Cordelia read the notation.

"Mary Rose Martin

beloved wife and mother

Taken from us on this day

14th January 1739."

When Cordelia was done no one said anything. They all had their eyes on Angel. He was quiet, then he stretched out on the ground and laid down next to his mothers grave and started to cry. Dr. Martin pulled on Cordelia's and Connors arms and led them back to the van. "Let's leave him alone for awhile." They walked back to the van and waited for Angel.

Cordelia started to squirm in her seat. "Mom I have to pee. I'm going around to the back of the house." Cordelia got out and made her way to the back. She came back in a few minutes. "I feel a lot better now. Is he still on the ground?" "Yes. He has a lot of years to travel through and a lot of things to tell his biological mother. I think I'm going to take a nap, why don't you do the same Cordelia. I think Angel will be there for at least 3 hours." Dr. Martin adjusted her seat so that she could lay down. She took her coat and laid it over herself. Cordelia did the same and before he knew it Connor didn't have anyone to talk to so he got out of the van and took a walk around the property.

The sun was starting to go down when Cordelia woke up. Her stomach had started rumbling. Mary Kathleen must be getting hungry she thought. She got out of the van and walked over to where Angel was still on the ground. He had cried himself to sleep. Cordelia kneeled on the ground and gently shook her husbands shoulder. "Angel, wake up baby. Your daughter is getting hungry. We have to go home now." Angel opened his eyes and looked at Cordelia. He picked up her hand and kissed it. "Mama this is my wife Cordelia Chase Martin. She is pregnant with your granddaughter. I have a son also by the woman that turned me into a Vampire. But Cordelia was given to me by God and my Guardian Angel St. Michael. After so many years mama I am finally happy. Were going to name our little girl Mary Kathleen after Kathy and Dr. Martin. Dr. Martin and I had a mutual adoption. I needed a mother and she needed a son. I am going to go now mama but I'll be back before we go back to the states. I am going to have the farm fixed up and make it look like it used to. I love you mama and I have missed you for so long. Goodbye." Angel went to the grave stone and kissed it.

Angel stood up then and walked back to the van with Cordelia in tow. He seemed more light hearted and his walk was more carefree. Angel was at peace with the world and his demeanor showed it. Connor wasn't at the van so Angel honked the horn. Connor stuck his head out of a window in the second story of the house. He saw that they were all waiting for him so he looked around to make sure no one was around and he jumped from the second story window. Angel drove over to him and Connor got in and they headed back.

"Let's see if we can find someplace to eat. It's to late to go home and fix something. Besides Cordelia said that Kathleen is hungry." Angel placed his hand on Cordelia's rounded stomach. "Our daughter is starting to grow in size now. Her heart beat is nice and strong now. I remember that at one time Drusilla went through a period of time where she thought she was pregnant with Spikes baby. Darla would get so mad at her. Drusilla was always breaking into stores that displayed baby clothes. After about 6 months of listening to her talk about her baby that she said she was carrying Darla turned around one day and slapped Drusilla so hard that she left an imprint of her hand on Drusilla's face. She told Drusilla that she didn't want to ever hear about a baby, that doesn't exist, ever again and if she ever said anything again she would stake Drusilla herself. That very night Spike went out and found the biggest doll that he could find. He stole some baby clothes and blankets so Drusilla could take care of the doll as though it was real. She would even go into the bedroom and remove her blouse and put the doll to her breast as though she was nursing it. Darla got so mad that she broke a chair leg off and was within inches of staking Drusilla. Spike caught her just in time and then Angelus took Darla from him and took her out of the room. He made her go outside for awhile so she could cool down. Angelus knew that they needed Drusilla because of her visions. She would often warn them about something that would happen if they took a certain path. Your Mother had a hot temper Connor, and I think you got that from her."

"What do you mean I got my hot temper from her. You have a hot temper too. You know that hot Irish temper?" Connor said. "Yes, unfortunately you inherited a bad temper from both of us but I think that, that part of you that makes you change from a happy person to a hot, mad, raging bull within seconds comes strictly from you mother."

Dr. Martin saw how mad Connor was getting so she put her hand on his arm to steady him. "Why are you getting so mad Connor?" Dr. Martin said softly. "I don't know. It just comes up in me and it overwhelms me. Holtz beat me many times when I was younger because my anger would get in the way. I would almost always make the wrong choices when fighting monsters in Quortoth. He would have to save me every time I let my temper get in the way. By the time I was 14 I had learned to control it when I was fighting. I would just put all of the energy produced by my anger into fighting the monsters and demons. I think that's why they were all so afraid of me." "At least you realize what is happening and I believe you realize that it is something that you have to learn to control. Not just when your fighting but all the time. I'll help you Connor so that one day, when your in control of Angel Investigations, God won't have to send some old lady to teach you and embarrass the hell out of you in front of everyone." Dr. Martin patted Connors arm then put it back under the cover of her jacket. It was getting cold outside so she asked Cordelia to turn the heater on.

Angel pulled up in front of the local pub. "They usually serve some food also. At least they used to. Stay here, I'll go in and check it out." Angel got out of the van and went into the pub. It looked old inside. In fact it looked like it still had all of the fixtures from when it was first made. The bar was almost a black color from being varnished and all of the thousands of hands that had touched it over the centuries. Over the bar was a painting of a single eye. The handles on the beer dispensers were of carved wood and of a singular design. There were no bar stools except at each end of the bar. These were usually reserved for the elderly gentleman that still visited the pub on a regular basis. The rest just leaned on the bar and rested their feet on the steel pipe that was once painted gold and ran from one end of the bar to the other. Angel spotted the bar tender and asked him if they served food in here. "Yes sir we normally serve a regular menu here but our cook has gone home. If you don't mind sandwiches I can prepare something?" "I think that will be okay. I'll be right back with my family." Angel left and went out to the van. "Lets go in, they serve food here but the cook has gone home for the night so the bartender said he can make some sandwiches for us." Cordelia, Dr. Martin and Connor got out of the van and followed Angel into the Pub. As they went into the Pub all of the men acknowledged the ladies by nodding or tipping their hats. Angel picked a table by the fireplace where they could sit. The bartender took their order and they had a nice quiet meal by the fireplace. It was 8 o'clock by the time they got home. They had, had a long day and the ladies were glad they had gone out to eat.

As they drove up to the house Cordelia noticed that there was a light in the kitchen. She put her hand on Angels arm. "Angel I don't remember leaving the light on in the kitchen." Angel stopped the van and got out. "Connor let's go and check it out." Connor got out of the side of the van and left the door open. Cordelia and Dr. Martin watched Angel and Connor go up to the house. Cordelia knew that they could smell people like dogs could and they could tell if it was someone that they knew or strangers. They watched Connor and Angel climb up to the second story and go through a window. Ten minutes later Angel came out and got in to drive the van the rest of the way. "What was it Angel?" Cordelia finally asked since Angel wasn't forthcoming with the information. "Just 2 old buzzards and a couple of swans trying to set up housekeeping."

Cordelia gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?" "It's Wesley, Fred, Buffy, and Spike." Cordelia screamed and jumped out of the van as soon as Angel brought the van to a stop.

"Do you think she is happy that they are here?" Angel asked as he looked at Dr. Martin and Connor.

"I do believe that you are correct Mr. Martin. In fact I know that you are correct." Dr. Martin said as they all exited the van and went inside.

* * *

TBC.......................................................................................... 


	6. The Gift

The Gift

Chapter 6

"AAAhhhhhh!" Cordelia screamed as she entered the house. She ran to Fred and Wesley and hugged them. "I missed you guys. I even missed you 2." Cordelia hugged Buffy and Spike. Angel came in with Dr. Martin. Fred and Wesley came over to greet and hug Dr. Martin.

"What are you guys doing here?" Cordelia asked as she started to make some coffee for everyone.

"We just got here an hour ago. I told Fred that I wanted to introduce my parents to my wife, and I called Buffy and Spike to see if they wanted to go since Spike was from England also." Wesley said. He waited to see how long it would take for Cordelia and Angel to realize what he had said.

"Wait a minute, did you just say 'my wife'?" Cordelia asked as she turned around from the stove which she had just lit.

"That is what my husband said. He is taking me to England for our honeymoon." Fred said as she showed Cordelia her ring. Cordelia and Angel both hugged Fred and Wesley and congratulated them. "Oh Fred I am so happy for you. Wesley you finally got what you have wanted since we rescued her. Now all we have to do is get Gun to find someone and we will be on our way to the next generation of Angel Investigations."

"We have an even bigger surprise for you two." Buffy said. "Your pregnant?" Angel asked. "No not yet. The surprise is more of gossip than news." Buffy didn't say anything more. She just waited to see how long Cordelia could take it with out asking.

"Well?" Cordelia said. "Well what?" Buffy said. She was having fun keeping everyone in suspense. "Buffy spill it before we end your career as a slayer right here and now." Cordelia said.

"Oh, right I was just thinking of something else for a second. Guess who is dating who?" Buffy waited before saying anything more. She wanted the suspense to build.

"Spike what is she talking about?" Angel asked. His curiosity was finally getting the better of him.

"Your Dr. John has been seeing Hunter lately. They have had several dates already. When we left he had come up to Sunnydale to spend the weekend with her at her house. Hunter is practically dancing now when she fights a demon or Vampire." Spike said.

Cordelia and Angel just looked at each other. They really were shocked at the news. "Never in a million years would I guess that Hunter would find someone. Especially Dr. Thompson." Cordelia said. She went over to the stove and put a large pot of coffee on. Buffy, Spike, and Angel came over to the stove. Spike was looking at the stove. "Just like old times. Brings back memories. Look Buffy. It's an old fashioned wood stove. It looks like the only modern convenience in here is the refrigerator." Spike was looking at the kitchen more closely now. He was pointing out all of the oil lamps to Buffy. They went into the living room and was showing her all of the oil lamps that had to be lit in order to be able to do anything.

"Hey are you guys hungry?" Cordelia asked everyone. "I don't think so Cordelia we just came from the Jenkins where we had dinner. We followed them over here and they just left before you got here. We are kind of tired now." Wesley answered for everyone.

"You can't go to bed yet. You have to tell me when you guys got married, how was the ceremony, did you guys get married in a church or did you go to a justice of the peace." Cordelia was so excited she was forgetting to have her special tea.

"We just got married today at Fr. Barris's church. He performed the ceremony and Spike was Wesleys best man and Buffy was my maid of honor." Fred went up to Cordelia and hugged her and whispered in her ear. "This is our first night as husband and wife so yes we do want to go to bed." Fred drew back. She had a nervous smile on her face. She wasn't sure if Cordelia understood.

"Well I guess you can have the bridal suite then." Cordelia gave Fred a kiss and went to Angel and whispered something in his ear. "Buffy and Spike do you want to sleep in the barn with Cordy and I? The house only has 3 bedrooms and we are giving up our bedroom to Fred and Wesley for their Honeymoon." Angel asked. He looked at Wesley and Fred who where blushing. He knew they had been sleeping together for a while so he didn't understand why they were blushing.

"Lets do it Buffy. It will be fun. 'You know Angel and I used to trade women sometimes. Maybe you'll get lucky tonight.'" Spike whispered the last part in Buffy's ear.

"Don't ever think like that ever again Spike." Buffy pulled at his ear to emphasize how serious she was. "Ow, Ow, Ow. Okay, Okay I was just joking. Besides Angel would probably stake me if I ever touched Cordelia in a non medical way." Spike said as he rubbed his ear.

"Okay lets get as many quilts as we can. You want to come with me Wesley and Fred and I'll show you how the house works. Then Angel and I are going to take a shower and then turn the room over to you. Buffy and Cordy you can take a shower in Connors bathroom if you want. Cordelia took the pot off of the stove and then took their guests upstairs along with Angel. Cordelia piled a bunch of quilts on top of Angel and Spike and told them to take them down stairs then to come back so they could take a shower. Angel brought up Wesley and Fred's suit cases and Spike brought his and Buffy's.

Wesley and Fred went back down stairs and waited for the others to take their showers. Cordelia told Buffy to wear something warm because the nights were still cold over here.

Cordelia asked Angel to help her change the sheets on their bed before they took a shower.

Thirty minutes later Cordelia and Angel came down stairs. They both had on sweat pants and matching jackets. Cordelia picked up the pillows and Angel picked up the pile of quilts. Spike and Buffy came down also. Fred came over to Cordelia. "Your starting to show your pregnancy quiet a bit now Cordelia. Are you sure it's okay for you to be climbing up in the hay loft?" "Sure, Dr. Martin said it's good for me to exercise. She said the delivery will be a lot easier on me if I exercise regularly. I even went horseback riding the other day." "You have horses here? Can we go for a ride tomorrow?" Fred asked excitedly. "Sure, does Wesley know how to ride?" Cordelia asked. "No I don't think so. At least I never heard him mention riding."

Fred went over to Wesley to ask him. "Wesley do you know how to ride a horse?" "Yes, why?"

Fred turned to Cordelia. "He does Cordelia." "Good we can go horseback riding tomorrow then. Maybe we can take a picnic lunch."

Cordelia was about to head out to the barn when Dr. Martin came up behind her. "Cordelia didn't you forget something tonight?" Cordelia looked around and saw Dr. Martin with a cup in her hand. "Oh my goodness, I forgot to have my tea. Thank you." "What are mothers for if not to make sure that the kids take all of their medicine." Cordelia took the cup from her. "Good night everyone. If you need anything Wesley ask Connor." "Good night everyone." Angel and Buffy said as they followed Cordelia out the door. Before Spike headed out of the door he turned and said "If the barns a-rocking don't bother knocking tonight or tomorrow morning." With that said he closed the door and ran after the rest. Wesley and Fred said goodnight to Dr. Martin and Connor and headed upstairs.

"I guess I'll go to bed also. Goodnight Connor." Dr. Martin said as she took a cup of tea that she had made for herself also when she had made Cordelias. "Goodnight Grandma." Connor said. He didn't feel like sleeping yet so he grabbed his jacket and went outside for a walk. He went over to the barn and listened for awhile. When he didn't hear anything he opened the barn door and went in. Connor was bored stiff and was feeling like he had energy to burn.

"Hey Cordelia and Buffy!" Connor yelled. "What do you want Connor?" both Cordelia and Buffy answered at the same time. "Can Angel and Spike come out to play?" He could hear them all laughing.

Angel got up and went over to the side of the hay loft. Spike came over and stood by his side.

"What do you want to do?" Angel asked. "Tarzan has been neglecting Boy. Boy wanna play follow the leader." "You want to go?" Angel asked Spike. "I'm game Tarzan. Is it okay if I go and play with Tarzan and Boy Buffy?" "Yeah go play." Buffy said. "Can I go play with Boy Momma?" Angel asked Cordelia. "Sure, you've both been good lately so go play and get it out of your system. Be careful though, I don't want anyone coming back with a shotgun wound again." When Angel and Spike got the okay they jumped down from the hay loft. Connor took off and was out of the Barn door before they hit the ground. Buffy came over to sit with Cordelia. Angel had put a couple of bales of hay together so they could lean up against them and to protect them against the cold air hitting Cordelia on the head. Buffy sat down next to Cordelia and pulled the covers over her legs. They talked about what their lives had been like and all of the things that had been happening since they last saw each other. Cordelia told Buffy all about what had happened at the convent and at Sr. Margaret's funeral.

"How do we play this game Tarzan?" Spike asked as they started running after Connor. "We have to find him then we have to go where ever he does until we catch him. Then who ever catches him becomes the next leader." Angel said. "There he is." Spike spotted Connor in a tree that was in the back of the house. They both started running after him. Connor was young though and very inventive. It took Spike and Angel an hour to finally catch him. Angel was the first one to get to him. They were only able to do it by Spike distracting Connor and Angel coming up behind him. Fortunately the trees around them were very old and large and Angel was able to walk on the limbs without making any noise. He jumped at Connor from the limb next to the one Connor was on and they both fell to the ground. Angel jumped up and gave his Tarzan yell.

"Boy will never win over Tarzan. Tarzan is leader now." Spike was laughing so hard he almost couldn't follow. For the next hour Angel led them on a merry chase through the surrounding fields and through several fields loaded with sheep. They finally caught up with him by getting ahead of him and hiding behind a rock fence. The wind was blowing towards them so Angel couldn't smell them. Connor and Spike left about 50 feet between each other. As Angel jumped over the fence they both tackled him. It surprised Angel to the point that he Vamped out. Even though they had both piled on top of Angel he threw them both off and started running back to the barn. "That's not fair Tarzan, we caught you and it's my turn now." Spike yelled at Angel. Since Angel wasn't stopping they had no choice but to take chase. Angel ran as fast as he could, which fortunately, was just a little faster than Spike and Connor.

Angel ran into the Barn and jumped up to the loft and hid in the corner were Cordelia and Buffy were talking. Spike and Connor came running right after him. Spike and Connor jumped up to the loft also and looked for Angel. After watching them search through the hay Buffy asked them "What are you guys looking for?" "Angel, we know he came up here." "Oh, he's over here hiding behind us." Buffy said while pointing with her thumb towards the corner. Spike and Connor jumped him. "You cheater." Spike and Connor had piled on top of Angel and Spike sat on top of his head while Connor took his shoe off and was tickling his foot. Angel was laughing so hard he didn't have the strength to push them off. When they finally stopped they retreated behind the girls. Spike sat behind Buffy and Connor sat behind Cordelia, but Angel didn't come after them.

"Now, now boys if you can't play nice we won't let you ever play together again. What happened?" Cordelia asked. "He cheated Cordelia. He didn't play fair. We were playing follow the leader and when the leader gets caught whoever caught him becomes the next leader. I was the leader at first then when Angel caught me he became the new leader. But when we caught him he didn't give up the leadership. Instead he came running back here. I'm going to tell Grandma if you don't punish him for not playing fair." Angel was sitting in the corner grinning from ear to ear.

"Boy and Spike are poor losers. Tarzan no play with Boy again. Boy always threaten with running to Grandma. Boy sore loser. Connor jumped up and started for the door. "I'm telling Grandma. Then you'll be sorry." Angel, Spike, Buffy and Cordelia were laughing their heads off.

"Where did this game come from." Spike asked after they were able stop laughing.

"Angel and Connor like watching the old Tarzan movies. When we went to see Sr. Margaret we stayed at this old retreat house that they have on the property. They have a bit of a forest close to the convent so one night after leaving the convent Connor challenged Angel to a game of Tarzan and Boy playing follow the leader. You should have seen this Master Vampire husband of mine acting like a little kid again and chasing after Connor in the snow and trees."

"I haven't had that much fun in a long time Spike. You and Buffy need to hurry up and make your own boy so that you can have as much fun as I am having with Connor now." Angel was laying on his back and on top of the 2 bales of hay.

"What happened to Connor that he did such a 360 degree turnaround? When we left he was still as hot tempered as Angelus." Spike asked no one in particular. He was making himself comfortable by laying his head in Buffy's lap.

"What do you mean as hot tempered as Angelus?" Angel asked as he jumped off of the bales of hay.

"I was there Angel, you weren't. Angelus could turn on a dime. One second he could be just as fun as you were, and in the next second he would have his hands around my throat and threatening to tear it out. I can't tell you how many times Dru saved my life. Both you and Angelus had a very soft spot in your heart for her. Dru would start pulling on Angelus's arm and calling him Daddy. For some reason that would hit him in the heart like an arrow and he would let go."

Spike sat up and looked at Angel. "I am going to ask you something Angel and please don't take it as an accusation, but I always wondered how you could possibly bring yourself to kill Drusilla when you loved her so much? And don't tell me that you didn't love her because I know that both you and Angelus loved her as though she was your real daughter and that's why you both responded so quickly when she would call you Daddy."

"How did you know when I was coming thru and it wasn't Angelus who was in 100 control of this body?" "I don't know Angel. I would just get a feeling that you were different. I guess you weren't putting out vibes of pure evil. But I learned to be real careful because Angelus would take full control over you again without my knowing it. Now that I've heard all of Dr. Martins explanations for how our bodies work now and how Angelus controlled you I can think back on all of those years that Dru and I were with Angelus and Darla and I understand things that happened back then." Angel was quiet. He didn't speak for awhile.

Angel looked at Spike. Even in the dark Spike could tell that whatever Angel was going to tell him it was going to be the truth. "A part of my heart died when I had to kill Drusilla. You were right Spike, she did hold a special place in my heart. I did look on her as though she was my daughter. When you and Angelus used to switch partners and Angelus had sex with Drusilla that was the evil part of him that is in some men that forces their own daughters to have sex with them. I was repulsed by that act and I didn't want Drusilla to suffer anymore at Angelus's hand, at my hand. Some of the things that she was doing during those last years went against everything that I stand for now. But I knew that she was doing them because of what I did to her. I wanted it all to end for her Spike I wanted her soul to rest in peace. She was a good girl when Angelus turned her and took her over and over again. My heart ached for her Spike and that's why I found it so easy to kill her. If Connor or one of Cordelia's and my children should be turned into a Vampire I would do the same thing for them. No one should have to suffer as I have Spike. No one." Angel got up and went to Cordelia. "Do you hate me for saying that Cordelia?" "No Angel. I would thank you for having the courage to love us enough to do it." Angel just stood their and hugged her.

"I think it's time to go to bed now. I'm pretty tired. I won't admit it in front of Connor but I have to work a little harder now to out do him so I am pooped now. Spike and Buffy lets keep the sex to more traditional moves okay? I don't think these old barn walls can take your kind of sex."

Both Buffy and Spike answered at the same time. "Yes Daddy." Angel grabbed a bale of hay and threw it at them. "Go to bed." Angel grabbed another bale of hay and threw it at Spike who caught it and stacked it on top of the others. He was making a wall to separate them so they could each have some privacy. Angel went to their makeshift bed and lifted the quilt and Cordelia laid down. He covered her then laid down beside her and covered himself.

They laid down quietly for awhile. Cordelia was laying on her back and looking out at the stars. They could hear Spike and Buffy making love on the other side of the hay. Like Fred said, 'listening to people having sex was like smelling popcorn, you just had to have it also.'

Angel started kissing Cordelia. He ran his hands under her jacket and played with her breasts. Her nipples were hard because of the cold. He unzipped her jacket and opened it so that he could have easier access to them. Within minutes they were soft and supple.

Both Buffy and Cordelia had breasts that were large enough to attract men to them. Spike and Angel were no different. He could hear Spike sucking on Buffy's breasts also. He wondered why both he and Spike liked doing that so much. He knew that not all men did it to the length that he did. He would often spend a large amount of the love making time at Cordelia's breasts. He felt Cordelias hand go down his pants and grab on to him. She ran her hand up and down his growing erection. Angel pulled off Cordelia's jacket all of the way then pulled off her pants. He removed his own clothing, but instead of laying back down beside her he just stood there looking at her. Her stomach was growing each day it seemed and was now raised two or three inches higher than her hip bones. Tomorrow they would have to go looking for maternity clothes for her. As he stared at her his erection was getting longer and harder. He got on his knees and raised her hips up so that he could more easily reach her opening. Silently he began to pump her. He did it gently and slowly at first. Then he stopped and kissed her vigorously. He pursued her mouth as if he had to catch it and entrap it in his. He raised his head and finished the love making act. When he was done he laid down beside her and placed his ear on her stomach. He listened to his daughters heart beat. He started to sing an Irish song that he had heard a long time ago. He didn't know where it came from inside of him because it had been almost 3 centuries since he heard his mother sing it. He started off slowly and softly. His Irish accent was very heavy as he sang it. When he was done he kissed Cordelia's stomach and said 'Goodnight my sweet Mary Kathleen.'

Cordelia was running her fingers through Angels hair. "Good night Mary Kathleen." Cordelia said. Then Angel raised himself up and laid beside his wife. He pulled the quilts over them and pulled her into his arms.

Buffy and Spike had been listening to Angel. Buffy whispered in Spikes ear. "I think I am ready to share our lives with one of our own now Spike." Spike looked deep into her eyes, 'Are you sure pet?" "Yes Spike I love you more and more each day and I think that I am ready now to share you." Spike hugged her closely and kissed her. They fell asleep in each others arms as did Angel and Cordelia.

Everyone woke up to the sound of the cow mooing. The calves were using up her milk so she didn't need to be milked but she did want to go out to the pasture. She kept up her mooing until Angel got up and let her out through the back of the barn.

"How many people are going to go horseback riding?" Angel asked Cordelia. She didn't answer so he climbed the ladder to the loft again. He found her asleep again. He laid down beside her and started to tickle her under her nose with a straw. Cordelia rubbed her nose but didn't wake up. He tried again. This time she held her finger to her nose and started sneezing. Cordelia looked around. She saw the light coming in. "Angel can you close the doors to the loft or Spike will set fire to all of the hay." He jumped up and closed the doors. Spike and Buffy were still asleep so he motioned for Cordelia to come over to him. He grabbed another straw and started to tickle Buffy's nose. Cordelia did the same to Spike. They rubbed their noses at first then they did like Cordelia and started sneezing.

"Knock it off you two." Spike and Buffy sat up. Spike rubbed his eyes. "Well now what are you two doing, starting a nudist colony over here." Cordelia and Angel had forgotten to put their clothes back on. They jumped back over the hay wall and put their sweat pants and jackets on.

"Your going to have to make a run for it Spike. He grabbed Cordelia and picked her up in his arms and took her into the house. "Put me down Angel, I have to go so bad." Angel put her down and Cordelia ran upstairs and used the bathroom that Connor used. It opened out to the hallway and into his and Dr. Martins room. Cordelia closed the doors. She just barely made it to the toilet. "Kathleen your going to have get off of my bladder. I almost didn't make it this time." When she was done she went downstairs to the kitchen. Angel had already started the stove and had the large coffee pot on the back burner.

"I had to scold your daughter a while ago." "Why?" Angel said as he started to pull some potatoes out of the vegetable bin. "I told her to get off of my bladder, I almost didn't make it to the toilet." "She couldn't be that big yet that she would cause you a problem." Angel said as he stopped cutting the potatoes and looked at her. He was thinking of when Wesley was teasing him about feeling like he had to pee all of the time because Cordy would start having to go to the bathroom all of the time as Kathleen got bigger. "No she isn't that big yet but once in awhile she gets herself in a position where she is pressing on my bladder. It kind of feels like she is stretching her legs and that's when she makes me have to run to the bathroom. It's usually in the morning though and not all of the time. I'm glad we came now Angel instead of when I'm a lot bigger."

They didn't notice Spike and Buffy watching them from the door. "Ahh, what a scene of perfect marital bliss." Spike said to Buffy.

"I'll just ignore you for now. Buffy are you going to go horseback riding with us today?" Cordelia asked. "No I'll be the perfect wife and stay here and keep Spike company."

"So that makes it 5 so far. Most likely Connor will want to go. So that means I'll have to call Mr. Jenkins and get 2 more horses. We have to ask Fred and Wesley if they can use a western saddle or if we need the English type of saddle. Most likely that is what Wesley is used to."

"Good morning everyone." Fred and Wesley said as they came downstairs. To answer your question Angel, yes I can ride with a Western saddle." "Good then I'll call Mr. Jenkins and ask him to bring two more horses and saddles over." Angel threw the potatoes that he had cut up into a cauldron so that he could rinse them. He put the cauldron into another bowl where they could sit in water while he rinsed them. He pumped the pump a few times and got all of the water he needed. After rinsing the potatoes he threw them into a large frying pan. They created a lot of sizzling noise. Then he chopped up some onions and threw them in with the potatoes, seasoned them then covered the pan. It was obvious that Angel intended to cook every ones breakfast this morning. Normally he would of added more to the potatoes but in a small village like this was fresh produce was seasonal so there wasn't too much besides what could be kept in cold storage through the winter. The onions and potatoes were from the previous summer. Angel pulled out a large ham for Cordelia to cut a few slices off of. The coffee by now was boiling so he pulled it to the side a little so that it wouldn't boil over. Angel grabbed the broom and banged on the ceiling a couple of times. "Hey you two breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes." They heard Dr. Martin and Connor answer simultaneously, "I'll be down in a few minutes."

While the food was cooking Angel pulled out Cordelia's cell phone and called Mr. Jenkins.

"Mr. Jenkins, good morning, this is Angel Martin would it be possible for you to bring over 2 more horses this morning? Yes they're for our guests. Thank you 11 o'clock will be fine. Good bye." Angel closed the phone and gave it back to Cordelia.

Dr. Martin and Connor came downstairs. "Good morning everyone." Everyone answered with a good morning.

"We need a volunteer to set the table. Connor would you bring in some more wood for the fireplace and the stove please?" Cordelia asked as she brought out a bowl of eggs. "We need some more eggs so see if the chickens have laid any yet." "Sure, I'll be back in a minute." Connor said as he started out the door. "Common Wesley lets help him." Fred told Wesley as she got up to follow Connor out of the door. "I haven't had to do this since I left Texas to go to school in California." Connor showed them where the chicken laid they're eggs and handed them a basket that they used to collect the eggs. He left then to get the wood for the house.

When they got back they gave the eggs to Cordelia. She rinsed the nesting material off of the eggs then gave them to Angel. Cordelia continued to make the toast that needed constant attention. This afternoon she would have to start a batch of bread dough for the evening meal and the next day. In just a few minutes both Angel and Cordelia brought the food over to the table. Angel had a pot of blood warming slowly on the back of the stove. He tested it to see if it was warm enough or if it had started to cook but he found it to be just right. He poured a couple of large mugs of blood for Spike and himself. He didn't have anything to add to it so they would have to take it straight. Everyone waited for Angel and Cordelia to join them.

"Could I have everyone's attention please?" Everyone stopped talking and looked at Angel.

"I would like to offer a prayer before we start. If everyone would hold hands I will give the offering. 'Thank You heavenly father for all that we have here today. Thank you for our friends that are able to join us. Thank you for the love and kindness that you give to all of us. Amen.'"

Everyone echoed his Amen. "Dig in everyone." Angel said as he took a slice of buttered toast and dipped it in his blood.

Cordelia got up and went to the refrigerator and pulled out the grape jelly. She took a big spoonful of it and put it on her toast. Angel was picking up on her craving so he was eyeing the bottle of grape jelly. "Can I have some of that Cordy?" Cordelia passed it down to Angel. Angel took a large spoonful of the jelly and placed it on his bread.

"You've become a very religious person Peaches. Angelus must be plucking his own eyes and ears out by now." Spike commented as he drank his glass of blood.

Angel was quiet for awhile. He was trying to think of a good return to Spike's comment. He leaned forward on the table as he reached for his cup of coffee instead of the blood.

"Spike I never thought that I would ever say this but here it goes. Even as a human before Darla turned me I never gave God a second thought. The good Sister that taught us our Catechism on Sundays used to tell us that if we had to give ourselves an excuse for doing something then it was most likely wrong and we shouldn't be doing it. Well after my mother died when I was 12 years old I was giving myself excuses for almost everything I did. It got to the point that I just stopped rationalizing what I was doing. I did it by just putting any thought of God out of my mind. I didn't think about Him again until I was given my soul back. I had myself convinced that God would never want to give me a second thought because I was such a rotten human and an even more rotten Vampire that was slowly corroding from the inside out and that corrosion that came out of me had spilled out onto humans around me. With Dr. Martins help I have come to understand that God does still love me. In thanksgiving for all that He has done for me and for giving me the privilege of being one of His Champions here in this world I have made it one of my priorities to come to know Him and to thank Him for all that He has done for me. Cordelia and I have talked about it and we have decided that our children will be brought up in the Catholic Church and they will be brought up in the old tradition of family prayer. So you might as well get used to it Spike."

"I know this is going to shock everyone but Buffy and I have gone to church a few times. We have come to realize that Slayers just don't live very long and we have been making the most of the time that we have together. Buffy wants to have children with me now. Neither one of us knows how long she may have left in this world. I guess she doesn't want to leave me alone."

"Don't worry about Buffy leaving you early Spike. Buffy is the last Slayer to receive that title by the previous Slayer dying. That title will now be kept within your family. It will be passed on to your daughter." Dr. Martin said. If she had, had a feather she could have knocked over Buffy with it.

"Who gave this information to you? Was it Sr. Margaret?" Buffy had recovered enough to start asking questions.

"Yes, Sr. Margaret gave me this information to pass on to you and Spike before she died. She also said that Spike is to officially change his last name to Summers. Willow should be able to help you with all of that. You are the last of the Summers are you not?" Dr. Martin asked Buffy.

"Yes, the Summers name will die out unless I have a boy and he takes the name of Summers."

"You and Spike will have 2 boys and 1 girl. Your first will be a girl the next will be twin boys. Each generation of Summers girls will produce 1 girl that will become the next slayer when the mother becomes unable to perform her duties or as a Slayer or dies. From now on this is how the title of Slayer will be passed on. Wesley you will need to discuss what the future of the Watchers are with Giles. Your only purpose in life from now on Wesley will be to take care of Angel and Angel Investigations. You will see to it that all children complete their education in the correct field that they will need in order to take over from their parents. In each generation 2 of the children will be chosen from among all of the children to follow in my footsteps."

Dr. Martin sat back in her chair and let all of this soak in and then waited for a response.

"These are the orders given to you from Sr. Margaret?" Wesley asked. He said it as though it was something that he was told all of the time.

"Yes Wesley. When Angel, Cordelia and Connor came to see Sr. Margaret and before she died she spoke with each of them privately. The night before she died she gave me these instructions. You have the heaviest load to carry Wesley because you will be the last one to leave this world. This of course doesn't include Connor since he is part of the next generation. You will be the last to leave this world because it will be your task to make sure that everything is working as it should."

"How will I know which child will take my place?" Wesley asked. His head was already spinning with the immense amount of responsibilities that were being laid on his shoulders. "Fred will know."

"Isn't it ironic that the only Vampire to kill two slayers will become the father of generations of slayers." Angel said.

"Well now that we have been given our orders for the rest of our lives it's time to have some fun while we can." Angel pulled Cordelia into his lap as she got up to clear the table. "Cordelia and I have already made a good start towards the next generation and I know Wesley and Fred are working hard at carrying out their orders. So lets get busy and clean this kitchen up. Wesley and Connor lets go and get the horses saddled. Tonight Spike we men will be going out to have some fun. Mom are you coming with us?" "No, not today Angel. My backside isn't used to that hard seat. If I could see it I am sure that it would still be red from bouncing around on that hard seat. I think I'll get some bread started for tonight."

Dr. Martin hesitated for a second. She was trying not to smile. "Uh Angel, I had a complaint from my grandson. It concerns your playing fairly. Do you know anything about this." Angel, Wesley, and Connor were almost out the door when Dr. Martin mentioned this. He came back in and gave Connor a dirty look while Connor had a big grin on his face. "Yes Mam it just so happens that I do." Angel came back in and stood before her like a little boy. "Can you tell me what happened? I always like to hear both sides of the story before I pass judgement." Dr. Martin was doing her best not to laugh. Angel saw the slight smile that played across her face. He took that as a signal that this was all for fun.

"We played this little game that we have between us. We call it Tarzan and Boy. We play hide and seek as only Connor, Spike and I could do. Who ever catches the first person to play IT wins and becomes the new leader. When I became the leader and Spike and Connor caught me I didn't give up the leadership. I just threw them off and ran back to the barn." Everyone was having a good laugh over Angels Mom calling him on the carpet.

"Do you think you were being a very good example for your son when you did that?" "No Mam." Angel was shuffling his feet like a little boy.

"Okay this is my judgement call. You have to remember Angel that you have to always be a hero to your son. You always have to do your best Angel. You always have to remember that someone is watching you. Your always a teacher to your children. Your children put you on a pedestal that is so high up that it's hard to stand up their all of the time but you have to do your best to stay up there. Don't forget that Angel." "Yes Mam." "Now for you Connor." Connor stood up. He was having a good time seeing his father getting disciplined. He was in for a big surprise though when Dr. Martin slapped him on the back of the head lightly.

"Ow what did you do that for." Connor said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh stop it I didn't do it that hard. That was for being a tattle tale." She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Don't get mad, get even." Now get out of here all of you. I'll clean up the kitchen.

"Thank you Mom." Cordelia said as she gave Dr. Martin a kiss on the cheek then went upstairs with Fred to get some jeans on. When she got up there though and put her jeans on she found she couldn't even zip the pants up.

"What am I going to do Fred? I don't have any maternity clothes yet." Cordelia looked at Fred. It seemed as though Kathleen had grown some more over night.

"Why don't you wear those sweat pants you were wearing last night?" Fred suggested. "I guess I'll have to, but I have a clean pair that I can use." Cordelia grabbed a clean pair of sweat pants and put them on then grabbed a blue flannel shirt that she had bought for Angel. They went down stairs then and to the barn. The men had the horses saddled and were waiting for the ladies.

"How do I look?" Cordelia asked Angel as she turned around.

"You look like a beautiful mother to be that doesn't have any maternity clothes. I guess we'll have to go shopping for you when we get back. Let's get going." Angel helped Cordelia to get in the saddle and Wesley helped Fred. The men mounted their horses and they took off. Angel led them towards the town then over to his families farm. They were riding on the side of the road so it took them another couple of hours to get there.

As they came into the yard in front of the house Angel stopped and dismounted. He helped Cordelia to dismount. He knew she had to pee real bad after all of that bouncing because he felt like he had to also. Angel took Cordelia by the hand and told the rest to stay here and they would be right back. Cordelia dropped his hand and went running to the back of the house. Cordelia almost didn't make it she had to go so bad. Angel relieved himself at the same time. It felt odd to him since he so rarely had to do it. He figured though that he was probably going to be doing it a lot more though until Cordelia finally delivered their Kathleen. They went back to the others.

"Everything okay?" Wesley asked. At the same time he was looking at Connor out of the corner of his eye. They were remembering the joke that he had told about Angel. Angel noticed them laughing and he remembered the joke also then. Cordelia and Fred were wondering what Connor and Wesley were laughing about. "Yes Wesley everything is okay. Lets tie the horses up over here. I wanted you to see the farm where I was born."

They tied the horses up and Angel showed them around the house and barn. "Wesley I want to find out who owns this farm now and no matter what it costs I want it and I want it to be restored to the way it looked when I left. I am going to turn it over to the Jenkins to manage it for me. They can rent it out and keep the money for repairs and taxes. They will keep a portion of it as a fee for taking care of it also." Angel then lead them over to his mothers grave. "This is where my Mother is buried Wesley. Cordelia and I have discussed it and if I should die after my redemption both Cordelia and I are to be cremated and our ashes brought over here and placed next to my Mother. This will be our family cemetery. If any of you want to be buried over here you are more than welcome." "Okay Angel I'll get started on it as soon as we get back from England. How many acres belong to the farm?" Wesley asked as he started to walk around the tree and had a good look at the property.

"I don't remember exactly how many but I think it's at least 100 acres and maybe more. We had better start heading back now it looks like it's going to rain." It took them an hour this time to get back to the house they were renting. Angel lead them through fields this time and they crossed several farms but they made it. Just as they lead the horses into the barn it started coming down hard. Wesley and Fred helped Connor and Angel unsaddle the horses and wipe them down. Cordelia had run inside to go to the bathroom and brought out some hot cocoa for Angel and herself. "I made some hot cocoa for the rest of you in the kitchen. Don't make too much noise though because Mom has the bread rising right now. Angel and I are going to stay out here for awhile. We still have our bed quilts in the loft and I don't know about Angel but I could do with a nap right about now." "Thanks Cordelia, that hot cocoa sounds good. We'll see you later." Wesley, Fred and Connor went back into the house and left Angel and Cordelia alone.

As soon as they were out of sight Angel ran to the back of the barn and relieved himself again. It seemed that this was going to be a regular thing just like it was for the morning sickness. He was back in a few minutes and went up into the loft to join Cordelia. She was sitting on the quilts and drinking her hot cocoa. When he tried to cuddle up to her she squealed in protest. "Angel take you clothes off their all wet. Put them over the rail so they can dry out. If their not dry enough when we go back in I'll go in and get you something to wear." Angel took his clothes off and hung them over the rail so his clothes could dry. Then he slipped in under the covers and snuggled up next to Cordelia and she gave him his cup of hot cocoa. They just sat for the next 30 minutes and watched it rain. When the cocoa was all gone Cordelia took her clothes off and crawled in under the covers with Angel. They slept then for the next 2 hours.

Connor was sent outside to call Angel and Cordelia into dinner. He came in quietly and went up the ladder into the loft. He saw the clothes hanging over the rail to dry. 'What a perfect opportunity.' Connor thought to himself. He grabbed the clothes and quietly went back into the house and placed the clothes on the bed then went back out to the barn and started making more noise as he went in. "Aren't you two ever going to come in. Grandma said that dinner will be ready in 30 minutes. This is your one and only call." Connor waited for a reply. "Well be in, in a few minutes Connor." Cordelia said as she sat up. She got up to get her clothes.

"Angel, I think we have a problem here." "What's wrong?" He asked as he looked around.

"Someone seems to be pulling a prank on us and I think his name is Connor." Cordelia said as she grabbed one of the quilts from their makeshift bed and wrapped it around herself. Angel got up and did the same. They made their way back to the house. Fortunately the rain had stopped but the ground was soaked so they had no choice but to walk through the mud and then track it through the house. As they walked through the house Angel spotted Connor innocently helping in the kitchen as though it was common to see Angel and Cordelia walking through the house wrapped in quilts. "Since this is your fault Connor you can clean the mess on the floor that we are leaving behind."

"That little joke didn't work to well did it? I think Cordelia is having more problems with her pregnancy now so I would walk lightly around both of them from now on. Don't forget Connor that Angel is picking up on her physical and emotional changes. If Angel should perceive any threat to Cordelia he just may unknowingly react in an animalistic fashion. So tread lightly my dear boy, tread lightly." Dr. Martin was talking loud enough for everyone to hear.

"So your saying fun time is over." Connor said as he cleaned the mud off of the floor.

"All I am saying is that you need to be careful from now until your sister joins us in this world. Fred would you set the table please?" "Sure Dr. Martin." Fred started setting the table for all of them. By the time she was done the food was ready and Angel and Cordelia came down stairs after taking a warm shower. Both of them were in a better mood now.

"Dinner is served everyone." Dr. Martin said as she put the food on the table along with small steaks and glasses of warm blood for Angel and Spike. Dr. Martin had made a lamb roast with mashed potatoes, gravy and peas, and fresh bread. She knew Angel loved fresh bread to dunk into his glass of warm blood.

After eating their dinner Angel gave the men the bad news. "I am going to have to give you guys a rain check on our night out. We discovered today that Cordelia has to finally make the scary leap into the world of 'Maternity Clothes'. So the ladies will be going shopping tonight in Galway. If anyone wants to go I think we can all make it into the van?" He got an okay from everyone so they all got up and started to help with cleaning the kitchen. Connor had already put two buckets of water onto the stove before he sat down to eat so they had hot water to start cleaning the dishes with. All of the food was put away and the dishes cleaned and put away within 30 minutes. They all piled into the van which was a little tight with so many people. But they managed to fit in. Angel and Cordelia sat in the front, Dr. Martin and Buffy sat in the two middle seats. Spike, Wesley and Fred sat in the back with Connor sitting on the floor between Dr. Martin and Buffy.

It took them an hour to get to Galway. They still had 2 more hours in which to get some shopping done. The men sat on a bench between the stores and eating ice cream like a bunch of kids. Connor was checking out one of the music stores. Spike was making a remark about a young woman with long red hair flowing down her back. He looked over at Angel and noticed his ice cream was melting down the side of the cone and down his hand.

"Angel your ice cream is melting." Angel didn't respond. He had his head down as though he was watching something on the ground. Once again Spike called out to him. "Angel, are you okay?" Wesley was next to Angel. When Spike called out to him for a second time and he didn't respond it grabbed his attention. He took the ice cream cone and threw it away and wiped his hand. Angel grabbed onto Wesley's arm. That's when he knew that Angel was in a lot of pain.

"Angel what's wrong?" "I don't know. All of a sudden I got a sharp pain as though someone just shoved a sword right through me." Spike came over and kneeled in front of him. "Where exactly is the pain?" Angel put his hand on his groin area. When he did that he looked at Spike. They both said it at the same time. "Cordelia." Spike and Wesley helped him get up and they ran to the maternity clothes store where they left the women. They saw a bunch of women gathering around the changing room. Dr. Martin and Buffy each had an arm around Cordelia's waist and were helping her to walk out of the changing room. Angel pushed every one aside and got to Cordelia. "What's wrong Cordy?"

"We need to get her to the hospital Angel. They've called for Ireland's equivalent of 911. They should be here in a few minutes." Dr. Martin told Angel. She let go of Cordelia and pushed Angel to the side and called Wesley and Spike over while Fred and Buffy took care of Cordelia.

"Angel when the ambulance comes don't get in it. I want to come in the van. Do not get in the ambulance with us. They are going to think that there is something wrong with you also. Give Wesley your keys so he can bring the van over to the entrance. Do you understand Angel?" Angel just looked at Dr. Martin. "Tell me the truth, is she losing Kathleen." Dr. Martin put her hand on his cheek and smiled at him. "In all honesty Angel I don't know. But I have faith that God has given you and Cordelia this baby that will be born in about 4 months." "But why is she in so much pain. I feel like I've been run through with a sword and it's still in there." "Angel she will be alright. The pain isn't any worse than if she was having contractions. She is handling the pain better than you are. Here comes the paramedics. Spike don't let him come into the hospital as soon as we get there. He can come in either when the pain subsides or he is able to handle it better. I am going to ride with the ambulance. Follow us but keep him outside when we get there." Angel gave Wesley his keys and went to Cordelia. The paramedics had her on the bed and were taking her vitals. Dr. Martin was listening for Kathleen's heartbeat. She looked at Cordelia. "She has a nice strong heartbeat Cordelia. Let's get you to the hospital so that we can find out what's wrong. Let's go guys." She said to the paramedics.

Another wave of pain came over Angel and he held onto Spike. Spike had to practically carry him outside. He had Fred and Buffy but they were missing Connor. Spike guided Angel over to a seat and told the girls to stay with him while he went to get Connor. He was back within a few seconds and with Connors help they were able to get Angel to the front and the Van. The paramedics were just loading Cordelia in the back of the ambulance and Dr. Martin got in to sit next to her. Angel saw her holding Cordelia's hand. Spike and Connor helped Angel to get in the front seat then they helped the ladies to sit in the back and they took the middle seats. Connor saw that Angels hand was grabbing the arm rest so tight that he was going to leave an imprint. They followed the ambulance to the hospital but Wesley parked to the side. Angel continued to experience the pain while they were sitting in the van. It came in waves so he was able to rest for a few minutes in between. After about an hour it stopped and he was able to relax. It took him another 10 minutes to get his breathing under control. He opened the door and stepped down. Instead of landing on his feet though his legs buckled and he went all of the way down. Spike and Connor got out and helped him to stand again. Angel took a deep breath and he went into the hospital emergency entrance.

Dr. Martin was coming over to the nurses desk just as Angel and the rest came in. "How is she?" "She is okay Angel. She's resting right now. Kathleen is resting also. Apparently she didn't like her Momma going horseback riding. Cordelia was having contractions. We got them to stop and we did an ultrasound and Kathleen is fine. All of Cordelia's vitals are normal now and she isn't in pain any longer. All she needs to do is to rest for a few days. You can go into her now. They will release her after she has rested for awhile." Angel hugged her. "Thank you, thank you." When he finally let her go she looked at him. "How are you feeling now?" "Better, I felt better as soon as her pain stopped. What did you do for her?" "We gave her some drugs to stop the contractions. Right now I want her to stay here for at least an hour until we are sure that everything is under control. When we go home now Cordelia is going to have to be laying down so we are going to have a problem as to how we are going to all get home."

"I can drive everyone else home and then come back for you 3." Wesley said. "That sounds good." Angel said as he left the group to go to his wife.

Angel parted the curtain and made sure that it was closed after he stepped in. He bent down and kissed Cordelia on her forehead. He reached for her hand and kissed it. Cordelia opened her eyes. "Hi, you gave me quiet a scare Cordy." "I'm sorry. I guess this means I can't go horseback riding anymore. Kathleen's poor little head must have been bouncing all over the place." Cordelia said with a smile. "Mom said that you will have to rest for the next few days then we need to get you home. I am going to see if we can get our suite over here at the Galway Inn. Do you mind not going back to the house?" "No but tell Mom to see if there is some way that we can take my yeast back with us. I like making bread for you with the same yeast that your mother used to use. I know it's not really the same one but just knowing that some small part of it came from that original batch that your Mother used is very comforting. I feel like she is still in the kitchen with me making bread for her little boy." Angel kissed her hand then called the Galway Inn. He rented two of the suites for the next 3 nights and told them that they would be there in about an hour or so. He then called Wesley and asked to speak to Fred. "Fred would you gather all of Cordelia's and my things and send them back with Wesley. We won't be coming back to the house. I have made reservations for the next 3 nights at the Galway Inn for all of us. Send the last of the blood that I have in the refrigerator also. Thanks."

"All set. All we have to do is wait for Wesley to get back and then we'll go to the Inn. Why don't you get some more sleep until he gets back." Cordelia did as he said and closed her eyes and went to sleep. Angel rested his head on her stomach and listened for Kathleen's heart beat. He found it. It was strong and steady as usual. He pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and rested his head on the side.

Dr. Martin came in one hour later. "Angel, Cordelia wake up Wesley is here." Angel got up and looked around for Cordelia's clothes. "Where's her clothes?" Angel was looking around. "It's usually placed in a bag under the bed the patient is on, at least that's the way they do it in the states." Angel looked under the bed and found a bag. "Aha! I found them. Let's get you dressed Cordy and then we can go to the hotel." "Your not going back to the village?" Dr. Martin asked. "No I made reservations for the next 3 days at the Inn that we were at before. I got 2 suites so if the others want to come and stay here they can, but I want Cordy to have complete rest and no work." Cordelia looked at Dr. Martin and had the biggest grin on her face. Dr. Martin turned away so that Angel wouldn't see her laughing.

"I think I'll stay also so that I can keep an eye on Cordelia. I think Connor though is in seventh heaven and is going to miss taking care of the animals. I think Fred and Buffy will convince Wesley and Spike to come to the Inn also though." Angel was done dressing Cordelia. He helped her down from the bed and put her in the wheelchair. She winced a little at the pain from the movement into the wheelchair. Dr. Martin noticed that Angel did the same. They headed for the lobby to pay her bill and get all records of her problem and what was done so that it could be given to Dr. Thompson when they got home.

Wesley was waiting in the front. "How are you two doing now?" "What do you mean us two?" Cordelia asked as Angel lifted her into the van and she went to the back so she could lay down. They all got into the van and headed for the Galway Inn. "Wesley you haven't answered my question yet." Cordelia was starting to worry about what happened to Angel.

"He felt everything you did Cordelia. Didn't he tell you?" Wesley answered. "When we left you ladies in the store we went to get some ice cream cones and were sitting on the benches eating our ice cream and watching all of the people. Spike noticed that Angels ice cream was melting so he told him but he didn't respond. Apparently that was when you started having problems. Your pain hit him like a freight train. Angel if that was just a sample of what women go through I feel sorry for you. Because we men just weren't built to take that much pain for any length of time."

"Maybe this was just a dry run so that you would have a better idea as to what you will be going through Angel." Cordelia said from the back of the van. They rode along in silence for awhile. "Wesley pull over please. He didn't do it right away so she said "now Wesley now." Angel helped her out of the van and over to the side where she started to throw up. "Mom come over here and hold her." Dr. Martin went to Cordelia and helped her. Angel went over by a tree and leaned against it while he started to throw up as well. When he was done he went over to Cordelia and helped her back to the van. "You must have forgotten to take your tea." Angel said as he helped her to get back into the van. "What gave you your first clue Dick Tracy?" Cordelia said as she crawled back to the seat and laid down. "About the 2nd heave." Angel didn't bother getting into the front seat. He just pulled himself into the second seat and made the seat go all of the way back. Dr. Martin closed the side door and got into the passenger seat in the front.

By the time that they pulled up to the Inn Angel was feeling strong enough to go in and register them. Dr. Martin and Wesley helped Cordelia into the Inn. When Angel was through registering for the 2 suites he gave one set of keys to Wesley and the other to Dr. Martin. He picked up Cordelia and went to the elevator. When they reached the floor for the suites Dr. Martin opened the door for Angel and he took Cordelia directly to the master bedroom and put her on the bed. "I don't suppose you brought my medical bag Wesley?" Dr. Martin asked when he came in. "I thought you would want it so here it is." "Thank you Wesley." She took the bag and went into Angel and Cordelia's bedroom and closed the door behind her. Fifteen minutes later she opened the door and closed it quietly behind her.

"This has been a rough day for both of them hasn't it?" Wesley asked Dr. Martin. They sat down at the kitchen table. "Yes and I think it will get harder from now on. Wesley I will be going back to the convent next week but it will be just to start the processing of the papers for my leaving the convent. It will take at least a month before I come out to Los Angeles. I am going to ask Spike and Buffy to stay at the Hotel with you guys until the baby is born. Buffy said it's been quiet in Sunnydale and they are only a couple of hours away if they have to return for anything. I am going to set things up in such a way that Angel and Cordelia won't suspect that they are there in order for Spike to take care of Cordelia and Angel. He can go and work with Dr. Thompson during the day. "

Dr. Martin was silent for a moment. "You know Wesley there is no scale that we can measure pain against. What Cordelia went through tonight was only a small sample of what she will be going through when she goes into labor. Tonight we saw how hard it is going to be on Angel. Something tells me that we are in for a rough ride before Kathleen makes her appearance in this world. We've been treating this like a joke so far but I think it will be harder on Angel then we ever imagined."

"Remember what I told Connor this afternoon when Angel got mad and ordered Connor to clean up the mud they were leaving behind?" "Yes but you don't really think he could lose control where Angelus could come through do you?" "Angelus wouldn't take over control as in when Angel loses his soul but I think he could be in so much pain that he may not be thinking right." Dr. Martin just left it at that and got up. "I will be staying here tonight so that I can keep an eye on Cordelia. Why don't you go back now. We'll be okay for tonight." "Okay Dr. Martin. We'll probably all be over here tomorrow. Goodnight."

Dr. Martin carefully opened the door to Angel and Cordelia's bedroom and checked on Cordelia. She checked her pulse and felt her forehead. As far as she could tell Cordelia was doing fine so she went back out and grabbed a blanket and curled up on the couch. She was tired and went to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next morning when she woke up she could hear the whirlpool bath running in Angel and Cordelia's bathroom. She opened the door and went into the bedroom but stopped at the open door of the bathroom. "Angel and Cordelia, are you two hungry?" They both answered simultaneously. "Yes." "What would you like for breakfast. Wesley brought your sheep's blood as you asked Angel." "Good. Cordelia can't decide on what she wants so I am ordering for her. Order a stack of buttermilk pancakes, a side of 2 scrambled eggs and 2 sausages. I'll take 2 eggs over easy and a small steak. A large pot of decaffeinated coffee and a pitcher of orange juice, and a nice tall glass of milk for Mary Kathleen Martin." "Okay I'll let you know when they say that it should be here." "Thanks Mom." Angel said, Cordelia gave a thank you also. Angel turned the mood music back on and they settled back into the whirlpool. They sat for the next 15 minutes just looking outside and enjoying the view. Angel started to wash Cordelia's hair. When he was done she sunk down below the water.

"We better finish bathing now Angel I'm starting to look like a prune." Cordelia said as she started to bathe. "Ah but you're my prune." Angel said as he began to wash her back. They were out of the bath within a few minutes. Cordelia started to get dressed but Angel stopped her. "What do you think you are doing Mrs. Martin?" "I'm getting dressed." "I don't think so. You were told to stay in bed for the next 3 days." Angel stood over her with his fists on his hips just daring her to try to go against orders. Cordelia just looked at him and was trying to figure out if it was worth an argument. After all, she thought, she could have lost Kathleen last night so she caved in.

"All right Angel I'll be good and do as Mom said. Ask her though if I can come into the kitchen to eat my breakfast. I promise I'll go right back to bed as soon as I'm done." Cordelia said as she got back into bed and pulled the covers over her lap.

"Okay, I except your word. I don't think we want to risk losing Kathleen." Angel sat next to her on the bed. He looked into her eyes as though he was trying to find something in them. He leaned over and picked her up and put her in his lap. He hugged her tightly to his chest.

"You scared me last night Cordy. I felt everything that you did last night. I don't think that I have ever experienced pain like that for such a long period of time. I was even thinking of breaking the link between us so that I wouldn't have to go through it anymore. It was the first time where I had an option as to whether I wanted to except the pain or turn a switch off and it would stop. But then I thought about what you were going through and that you didn't have any choice. It made me realize how much stronger you are then I am. It made me realize how much you must love me." Angel put her back on the bed and covered her up.

"I'm sorry Cordy. I'm sorry that I had those thoughts last night. I'm sorry that I love myself more than I love you." Angel had been looking down but he raised his head and looked at her. "I promise that I won't ever do that again. I promise that I will be with you through everything. I promise to love you and our children more then I love myself. I used to think Cordy that I could only prove my love to you by giving you the best sex that all of my years of experience could possibly give. But I know now that sex is just a complement to love. It adds dressing to the real center piece. The real center of a marriage is the love that a man and woman give to one another. I now know that it's true what they say. Women give 100 and men give only 50 to a marriage. Last night while we were waiting for Wesley to come back I realized that this wasn't a vacation for you and Mom. It was for Connor and I but all it was for you and Mom was another working day which was made harder since you didn't have the modern conveniences that you do at home. That's why I didn't want you to go back to that house in my village. When Wesley comes back I am going to tell him that I want my family farm to have all of the modern conveniences. So that the next time we come here you won't have to work so hard and I am going to get a maid to help you while we are here." Angel hugged her again. "I'm sorry I have been so self centered Cordy. I love you and I promise to be a better husband."

Dr. Martin knocked at the door. "Angel the food is here. Cordy you can come and eat at the table with us if you want." "Well be there in a minute Mom." Angel said as he helped Cordelia to get out of bed. She stood on her toes to put her arms around his neck. "Angel I love you and no matter what you think of yourself I still see you as the man that I love and that's all. Now as far as you being weaker than me when it comes to having baby's we women have always known how weak and fragile men are. Men just were not made to endure the pain like women are. I could never stop loving you Angel no matter how many times you cry uncle." Cordy gave him her best million dollar smile and a kiss. She put some sweat pants on along with a T-Shirt and they went into the kitchen. They were both hungry and the food smelled so good.

"I thought I was going to have to come after you two again." Angel and Cordelia sat down and started eating. They were both hungry since they both had emptied their stomachs before coming to the Inn. Angels blood had started to get a little cool so he warmed it up again in the microwave. When it was done he came back to the table and started in on his steak. He dunked each piece of meat in the blood before he ate it. When they were done eating Angel made sure that Cordelia had her tea before she went back to bed.

"Mom do you remember the clothes that I was trying on at the clothes store before Kathleen started throwing a hissy fit?" Cordelia asked as she prepared her tea. "Yes." Dr. Martin answered. "Do you think you could go back and pick them up for me. I liked all of the ones I had taken into the dressing room with me and you know the size I was trying on." "Sure, I can take a taxi. It will be nice to go shopping." "Why don't you wait for the others to come Mom and we can go together. Besides I don't want to leave Cordelia alone. Let me call them to see when they'll be here okay?" "Okay Angel, maybe some of the others would like to go also."

Angel went to the bedroom to get his cell phone. He called Wesley's number.

"Hello this is Wesley." "Wesley, this is Angel when are you guys coming over here?" "We will be there as soon as the Jenkins come over. I am going to use him to find out who owns your old family farm. He will be my contact for everything over here. Then we will all be coming into Galway. Connor isn't too happy about it. He said that he is going to miss taking care of the animals. We really need to get him a dog or something Angel. He says he misses all of the animals from Quortoth. Apparently he had pets that he misses a lot." "Well take care of that when we get home. Why don't you send the rest over here. Cordelia wants Dr. Martin to go back to the mall and pick up the clothes she was looking at when she started having contractions. I want to go with her but I can't leave Cordelia alone. I almost forgot Wesley, Cordelia wants to see if there is a way where we could take some of the yeast back with us to California. Ask Mrs. Jenkins when you see her if she knows a way we can do it?" "Okay Angel, I'll tell the rest to pack up their things and go into Galway. Goodbye."

"Okay, they should be here in an hour or two. Wesley has to stay to talk to Mr. Jenkins. He said he is going to use Mr. Jenkins to find out who owns my families farm." Angel noticed that Cordelia was done with her tea. "Lets go Cordy, back to bed." While Angel escorted Cordelia back to bed Dr. Martin put all of the plates back on to the cart and pushed it out to the hallway. When she went back in she found Angel laying on top of the covers next to Cordy.

"Do you two mind if I use your bathroom. I would sure appreciate a soak in your whirlpool?" "Sure Mom. Take as long as you like." Cordy answered right away. Dr. Martin checked to see if there was a bathrobe she could use in her own bedroom then went back to Cordy's bathroom. "I'll see you later." Dr. Martin closed the door after her and started the whirlpool water. While it was filling up she disrobed and started to light the candles. She was looking out of the window and watching the clouds come in. She sat on the edge of the whirlpool and took her hair down. Dr. Martin looked at herself in the mirror. For a woman of her age she thought she was still pretty good looking. She had kept her figure over the years and her breasts were no longer firm but still not sagging. Because she exercised whenever she could her hips and legs looked good. 'I think I can still get a man to take a second look at me. My face doesn't show to many wrinkles because of all of the rest I get, thanks to Mother Superior. Enough with this Mary your just as vain as the next woman.' The whirlpool was full now so she turned the water off and stepped in and turned the whirlpool on. Now this is luxury. She poured some eucalyptus oil in the water and let the steam carry it so that it penetrated her sinuses and left her feeling more relaxed.

Thirty minutes later she reluctantly got out after bathing. Since her hair was so long she had to get into the shower to wash it. The eucalyptus oil was all over it. When she was done she dried herself off and put the bathrobe on. She wrapped her hair in a towel to let it soak up more of the water then grabbed the hair dryer and her brush then went back into the bedroom.

"How was it?" Cordelia asked. Her and Angel were playing cards when Dr. Martin came out.

"I was in 7th heaven. Now all I need is for someone to volunteer to brush my hair and blow dry it." "I will make the ultimate sacrifice and do that for you since Cordy is supposed to stay in bed." Angel came and sat on the floor with his back against the bed and plugged in the hair dryer." "Come sit between my legs Mom so I can blow dry your hair." Dr. Martin did as he said.

Angel was almost done when they heard someone knocking at the door. He excused himself and got up to answer it. It was Wesley and the rest. "I thought you were going to stay for awhile to talk to Mr. Jenkins?" Angel asked as he opened the door wide so that everyone could come in. "Mr. Jenkins came just when I got off of the phone with you. While everyone else was packing and loading the 2 vans I took the time to talk to Mr. Jenkins about what you wanted to do and the part that I wanted him to play in it. It turned out that Mrs. Jenkins is quiet a computer buff. In fact I would say that she is just as knowledgeable as Willow. Before we left the village we went to see Mrs. Jenkins. Your going to want to sit down when you hear this. Where is Dr. Martin?" Wesley and Angel went to sit at the kitchen table. Angel called Dr. Martin who was getting dressed now that she had her suitcase.

Wesley asked Dr. Martin to sit at the table also. He pulled out a couple of sheets of paper and laid them on the table. "Angel Mrs. Jenkins was working with the parish priest to put all of the church records to CDs. When I asked her if she had any records on the Martin family that used to live in the village back in the 1700s she said that she had just got through transferring the records for the 1700s onto CDs. She was able to bring up all records on your family. Angel she was able to tell us where your Father, Sister, and step mother were buried when Angelus killed them. They are in the town cematery. I also found out who now owns your family farm." Wesley looked at Dr. Martin. "Apparently your father inherited the farm Dr. Martin. I also found that someone in each generation inherited the farm and all though no one ever wanted to return to Ireland to live their they did keep it in your family and continued to pay the taxes on it. You Sr. Mary Tares Martin are now the current owner of the farm."

"What? I didn't know I owned any property over here. When my father died I was already in the convent and I was going through my novitiate. I told the lawyer that was the executor of my fathers will that anything that I inherited from my father was to be turned over to my lawyer to handle. I never saw or heard anything more. I was to busy to even be curious about material things that I may have inherited. Of course I'll turn it over to you Angel. It's rightfully yours anyway." Dr. Martin was happy that she could give this to Angel. "Thank you. Let me at least pay you for all of the taxes that you have been paying on it for all of these years." Angel said.

"Don't you dare. Consider it a gift from your adopted mother to your biological mother. Now I don't want to hear anything more on it. Besides it would go to you when I leave this world anyway."

"Well it looks like you have made a good start already. Thank you Wesley. Dr. Martin and I are going to the mall to pick up the clothes that Cordelia was trying on when she started having contractions last night. Does anyone want to go with us?" Hands went up. Fred, Buffy and Connor wanted to go. Angel went to check on Cordelia and reminded her to stay in bed or else.

When he came back into the living room Dr. Martin had got her purse and they all went downstairs and loaded into the van. When they came back after 3 hours Angel and Connor had their hands loaded with packages. It turns out that Angel had wanted to see what she had chosen and he looked around and picked out 5 more outfits for her. He also wanted to go shopping in the baby store where he bought 10 outfits in various sizes for Mary Kathleen. He also bought receiving blankets with Irish designs on them. Dr. Martin finally had to stop him. "Angel if you buy anymore it will have to be shipped. You will have to pick up some extra suitcases as it is."

"When I go shopping for my girls I don't know when to stop. Lets go."

Angel, Connor and all of the women came in to see what Angel had bought. Wesley and Spike stayed in the living room. They could hear ews and ahs coming from the room. Spike looked at Wesley. "Peaches was always good at picking out just the right clothes. Darla taught him how to dress properly. He practically had to tie me down in order to get me to dress properly so that we could go to all of the parties and balls that Darla wanted to go to. Except in those days we just took what we wanted. Drusilla always enjoyed the dances also. Darla made us practice dancing over and over again until we did it perfectly. That woman had a temper. She even got Angelus to do exactly as she wanted. I think he did what she wanted though because it was the only way to shut her up."

When Cordelia was done going through all of the new clothes everyone but Angel left the room. "I am going to go back to my families farm Cordy. Wesley has found where Kathleen is buried. I don't know exactly when I will be back but promise me that you won't get out of bed Cordy." "I promise." Cordy crossed her heart and held up her fingers like a Girl Scout. Angel gave her a kiss and walked out of the room.

"Lets go Wesley." Angel said as he headed for the door. "Where are we going?" "We're going to see my sister."

"Angel I think Spike and I should go with you also." Dr. Martin had come out of her bedroom when she heard Angel. Angel took a few minutes to think about it. "Okay, but if something happens I don't want any drugs okay?" "Okay Angel I promise, no drugs." Dr. Martin said. She went to him and put her arm around his waist and hugged him. Spike grabbed his coat and hat and followed Wesley out the door.

They still had some daylight left when they got to the village cemetery. Spike and Dr. Martin stayed in the van while Angel and Wesley followed the cemetery map to find Kathleen's grave. They had to go to the very back of the cemetery which was behind a small hill and underneath a group of very old trees. This part of the cemetery was overgrown with weeds and brushes. It took them thirty minutes to find Angels fathers grave and his sister Kathleen's grave.

When they finally found them Angel just stood their staring at them. "Would you leave me alone for awhile Wesley?" "Sure Angel. Angel don't forget what Dr. Martin taught you. Angelus is the one that killed your family not you. You and Angelus are two different beings."

Wesley went back to the van and got in. "How is he Wesley?" Dr. Martin asked from the back seat. She had decided to take a nap while waiting for them but when Wesley opened the passenger door to get in she woke up. "I think he is going to be their for awhile. You might as well go back to sleep." "Yes I think I will. He did the same thing when he visited his Mothers grave for the first time. Cordelia finally had to go and get him."

Several hours later Spike woke up. Wesley and Dr. Martin were still sleeping so he quietly got out of the van and went in search of Angel. He followed his scent until he found him. Angel was stretched out between his fathers grave and his sisters. He was sleeping but he was also having a violent dream. He seemed to be running from someone. He was breathing hard and his legs were moving. Then he started calling for Kathleen. He was yelling at her to run as fast as she could.

Spike turned when he smelled Dr. Martin and heard her skirt rustling among the weeds and brush. She put her fingers to her lips when he started to speak. She went and kneeled on the ground next to Angel and softly called out to him. "Liam, Liam Martin." When she didn't get any response she tried again. "Liam stop playing with your sister and get in here this very minute." This time she got a response from Angel. "Momma, Momma someone is chasing Kathleen. She can't run fast enough and he is going to catch her in another second. Momma call Da tell him someone has Kathleen." "Who is chasing her Liam." "I'm almost there Momma I can almost touch him. Let go of my baby sister you monster. I have his arm Momma I can see his face now." Angel turned over and started yelling in his sleep. "No....No....it's me Momma it's me." "How can that be Liam? How can you be catching yourself?" "I don't know Momma but it's me." "Angel come inside now." "I can't Momma "I" won't let "me" go." When Dr. Martin heard what Angel was seeing in his dreams she backed off from her participation in his dream.

Dr. Martin pulled on Spikes arm and told him to follow her. She went back about 100 feet from Angel then she stopped and turned around. "Start calling his name Spike and I'll do the same. I want him to come out of his dream naturally." Dr. Martin started walking forward and calling out Angels name. Spike did the same. "Annngggelll, Annngggellll, come out come out wherever you are." Spike called as he continued to walk forward. Dr. Martin called out to Angel as though they were looking for him. As they got closer they saw movement in the grass where Angel was. They called out to him again. "I'm over here." Angel stood up and brushed the dirt and grass off of his clothes. "Sorry I guess I fell asleep."

"It's getting late Angel I think it's time for us to be getting back. Everyone will be worried about us, especially Cordelia." Dr. Martin said as she started walking back to the van. Spike walked around the graves. The fact that it was starting to get dark didn't bother him since he could see in the dark almost as well as he could in the light. "Is this where they buried your sister Angel?" "Yeah. My fathers grave is to her right. Lets go." Angel started to follow Dr. Martin. When they were far enough away Spike took some of the soil from Kathleen's grave and put it in a plastic bag then and put it into his right pocket then he took some from his fathers grave and did the same but put the bag in his left pocket. Spike ran after Angel and Dr. Martin when he was finished.

Angel was quiet on the ride back. When they got back to the Galway Inn he just said goodnight to everyone and went into his bedroom. Cordelia tried to engage him in conversation. "Hi, I missed you. Did you find your sister and fathers graves?" "Yeah." "Do you want to talk about it?" "No." "Would you like to be alone for awhile?" "Yes."

After that interesting conversation Cordelia got up and went into the kitchen. It was 8:30 p.m. and she hadn't eaten yet. "Is anyone hungry?" Cordelia shouted. Connor and Dr. Martin came out of their rooms. They both shouted "Yes." Cordelia got on the phone and called the other suite. "What are you guys doing for dinner, are you ordering room service or going out?" After a few minutes she said okay and hung up. "They're coming over here and were going to order room service for tonight."

A few minutes later they heard a knock at the door. Connor let them in and they all started to give their orders to Cordelia as to what they wanted. Cordelia called room service and gave their orders. When she got off of the phone she stood up and took Dr. Martins hand and pulled her into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She sat on the bed and patted the bed, signaling to Dr. Martin that she wanted her to sit by her. She came and sat next to Cordelia.

"Okay, what happened that has caused Angel to need some major brooding time?" Cordelia asked. By the look on her face Dr. Martin knew she wouldn't be able to postpone this until tomorrow.

"Remember what happened when he visited his mothers grave?" "Yes, he laid next to his mothers grave for so long that he fell asleep and I finally had to go and get him. Why?" Dr. Martin got up and picked up her hair brush and came back to the bed. As she was talking to Cordelia she started to undo her hair and brush it.

"Spike and I went after him this time. Spike went looking first. When he found him he said Angel was talking in his sleep and moving a lot. I came up to him shortly after Spike did. We watched and listened for awhile. He was talking a lot in his dream and we could understand easily what he was saying. Apparently in Angels dream a man was chasing his sister Kathleen. His mother was in his dream and she was calling to him and told him to stop playing with his sister and she wanted both of them to come into the house. This is where I tried guiding him through his dream and I played the part of his mother, but during his dream when he finally caught the man he yelled out 'No, no, it's me Momma it's me.' I asked him 'How can this be Liam, how can you catch yourself? Come inside now.' He answered with 'I don't know Momma, I don't know but "I" won't let "me" go.' That's when I backed off and out of his dream. I think Angel is still having problems with forgiving himself for killing his sister, but I don't believe this is being caused by Angelus. I think that Angel has this buried deep inside of his mind and it didn't resurface until he visited his sisters grave. When he said "I" won't let "me" go, I knew then that he is the one that won't let it go."

Cordelia had tears in her eyes. She reached for Dr. Martins hand. "I have faith in you Mom, I know that working together we can get him to let go of this guilt that he is punishing himself with. Just tell me what I have to do and I'll do it." "Tomorrow I will hypnotize Angel like I did you, and I will do my best to help him to let go of this guilt. Something else that happened in his childhood is making him hold on to this. Lets go and have our dinner and then I'll go and talk to him. We'll get through this Cordelia and everything will be okay." As they walked back into the kitchen they heard a knock at the door. Spike opened the door. "The foods here guys."

The waiter pushed the cart in and gave the bill over to Spike to sign for everything. "Cordelia are you going to sign for the food?" Cordelia took the bill and signed for it. When she gave it back to the waiter he handed her a bottle of Southern Comfort. "Don't tell me. I bet I know who this is for." "A Mr. Angel Martin called in a special order and asked one of us to go to the local liquor store and purchase this for him. He said that he would pay cash for it." The waiter wouldn't release the bottle until he was paid. Cordelia went to her purse and pulled out a $50 bill and gave it to the waiter who promptly turned over the bottle. "Thank you Mrs. Martin." The waiter said then turned and left. Cordelia held up the bottle and looked at Dr. Martin. "Lets eat, we can give it to him later." Dr. Martin said. They all then grabbed their orders and sat around and watched cartoons on the Warner Brothers station.

When Dr. Martin and Cordelia were done Cordelia warmed up some water for her special tea and some regular tea for Dr. Martin. She also warmed up a large mug of blood for Angel. Dr. Martin helped her take it into her bedroom. When they entered the room all of the lights were out and Angel was sitting on the balcony. They took the drinks out to the table on the balcony and pulled up a couple of chairs, pulled blankets off of the bed and wrapped themselves up and sat down to drink their tea. Angel hadn't said anything. He reached for the bottle and poured a small amount of the Southern Comfort into their tea then poured some into his blood. He downed the whole glass at one time. He ran his finger around the inside of the glass and then licked the blood off of his finger.

Angel put the glass down and turned to Cordelia. He had a funny looking grin on his face. The hair on the back of Cordelia's neck stood up. The look he gave her scared her. Angel leaned over his chair towards her and then stood up and walked around to the back of her chair. All of the time he was walking around her he kept his hands on her shoulders and then to her neck. Dr. Martin saw the look of terror on Cordelia's face. She started to get up and said "I think I'll leave you two alone for the night." "Sit.... down." Angelus said with a menacing low tone. Dr. Martin carefully sat down again. Angelus pulled Cordelia up by the neck. She cried out in pain but Angelus put his hand on her mouth. Angelus moved one of his hands to her breast and kept the other one at her neck. Remember what I said before Cordelia. Angelus squeezed her left breast hard. Cordelia screamed in pain. Once again Angelus moved to stop her from alerting the others. She moved her arm and hand over her stomach trying to protect her baby. Angelus picked her up and carried her over to the bed and threw her on it. He turned and looked at Dr. Martin. "Don't make a sound Dr. Martin or I'll break her neck before you can even say anything."

"Why are you here Angelus? Where is Angel?" Dr. Martin asked as softly and quietly as she could.

"Angel let me take over because he couldn't take it anymore. Now since Mrs. Martin might loose Angel's sweet Mary Kathleen if I play with her anymore I think I'll have a little fun with you." He walked over to Dr. Martin and grabbed her around the waist and pulled her body to his. "It's been a long time since I had a nun. I killed hundreds of them back when I had control all of the time. The fear that ran through them when I pulled their veils off made their blood taste so sweet." Angelus pressed his face against Dr. Martins. He was searching for the signature smell of fear that would tell him her blood would be sweet. Dr. Martin wasn't afraid as he would like though. She knew that deep inside that this was Angel.

Angelus reached up to her neck and holding her head so that she couldn't move it he kissed her hard and roughly. Their was no tenderness in his kisses. It was all about control as it was with many rapist. Many rapist find their sexual arousal is heightened by the control that they gain over another human. As he continued to kiss her he grabbed her blouse and ripped it off of her.

Cordelia had crawled off of the bed and was moving as quietly as she could towards the door. Angelus had Dr. Martin on the floor. He had taken her blouse completely off along with her bra. While he was kissing her his hand started to rip her skirt off. When he was able to remove all of her clothes his hand started going up and between her legs. Dr. Martin did her best not to scream. She continued to whimper though, she was like a trapped animal and the hunter was teasing her because he enjoyed seeing her scared out of her mind. Then she felt him at her breast and his hand between her legs. Angelus was being rough with her.

"Dr. Martins mind was going through all that she knew about the act of rape. Many police say that you should be passive and submit to the rapist or else they will use your unwillingness to cooperate as a sign that they can beat you. Angelus unzipped his pants. Cordelia knew what he was going to do. She reached for the door but Angelus saw her and was in front of her before she was able to open the door. He picked her up and threw her on the bed. Angelus grabbed her at the throat and lifted her slightly as he said "Don't try it again or I will break her neck and I know that you know how easy and quickly I can do it." Angelus returned to his toy. Dr. Martin saw how big his erection was. She hadn't had sex since her husband had died. She knew this was going to be very painful. She started to call Angel. "Angel help me, please help me. Stop Angelus. I know that you didn't mean for this to happen Angel. St. Michael help Angel." Angelus slapped Dr. Martin several times to shut her up. Cordelia was remembering her own rape. She got off of the bed and crawled to the corner and put her hands over her ears and kept her eyes shut tight.

Angelus seemed to be having a hard time functioning then. He could barely control his hands. He quickly grabbed Dr. Martin's legs and forced them apart. Angelus tried to enter her but he was quickly losing control of Angels body. One moment Angelus was forcing himself on her and in the next he lost complete control and collapsed on top of her. Dr. Martin was crying uncontrollably. When she was able to regain her composure she pushed Angel off of her body and sat up against the bed and night stand. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked for Cordelia. She saw her then still sitting in the corner. She knew she had to get control of the situation so she dressed herself again as best she could. Fortunately Angelus hadn't actually torn any of the material on her skirt but her blouse was torn beyond repair. She put her bra on and found her slip and panties and put them back on then she looked in the closet to see if Cordelia had something she could wear. She found a white blouse that was similar to what she had been wearing. When she tried it on she found it to be to long but otherwise it would do for now.

Dr. Martin went to Cordelia in the corner. She still had her eyes shut tight and her hands over her ears. "Cordelia, it's me, Mom." Cordelia opened her eyes and looked up slowly. Then she reached up for Dr. Martin and grabbed onto her and started crying. They hung onto each other for awhile while they both cried. Dr. Martin pushed Cordelia away but continued to hold on to her shoulders. "Cordelia I'm alright. Angel took over before Angelus could force himself on me. Remember you said you would help me to help Angel?" "Yes, I remember." Cordelia put her hands down and stood up. "Okay then come over here and look at Angel." Cordelia went to the other side of the bed. She saw Angel curled up. He had his thumb in his mouth and he was sucking on it like a baby.

"I think Angel is trying to find out why he can't let go of Kathleen's death. He knows that something is buried deep inside of his past and he is trying to find out what it is and he is doing it in the only way that he can think of. The problem is though that he didn't figure on Angelus taking control while he is away on this journey. I can help him by hypnotizing him Cordelia but I have to wait until he advances in age enough where I can get him to look and concentrate on one object and to listen to my voice. Now I want you to help me figure out what age he is at right now. Many children continue to suck their thumb during adolescents. Angel could be anywhere between a newborn to 10. I don't think he is any further then that though. Lets see if we can get him to stand.

Dr. Martin kneeled next to Angel. "Liam, get up baby." Angel looked at her but gave no response to her voice other than to wake up.

* * *

TBC.................. 


	7. Chapter 7

The Gift

Chapter 7

"Do you think he is Angel now?" Cordelia asked as she wiped the tears from her face.

"It's not Angel yet Cordelia, it's Liam. Lets pull him over so that we can each lay on either side of him. I don't think that it would be possible for us to get him to get on the bed."

"Why do you want us to lay down beside him?" Cordelia asked as she took one of Angels legs and helped Dr. Martin to pull him to the center of the room. "Cordelia think about it. What happens with children that are left alone." Cordelia was winded after they pulled Angel over. The carpet didn't exactly make it easy. She sat down for a minute to get her breath back and after a few seconds came up with the answer to her own question. "They get up and walk off when you least expect it." "Exactly." Dr. Martin said as she sat down herself.

Angel never stopped sucking on his thumb. Even as Dr. Martin and Cordelia removed his clothes for the night he just fussed a little like a little baby would do when you disturb them. They took one of the quilts and laid it on the floor then rolled him on top of it. They then covered him with two more. Cordelia gave Dr. Martin something to wear for the night and she put a night gown on also. They put some pillows down on the floor and laid down on either side of Angel. Angel put his head on Dr. Martins chest and went to sleep. After awhile Dr. Martin and Cordelia did the same. They were exhausted from all that they had been through. It was an emotional as well as physical drain.

During the night Liam advanced in age by several months. He had awakened and was hungry. Since his head was still on Dr. Martins chest he did like many baby's do. His mouth searched out the nearest breast. At first he grabbed onto her breast through the material of her nightgown. In his frustration at being unable to obtain nourishment he pulled at the material and gained access to her nipple. He then bit down hard and started to suck on her breast as the cuts in her skin began to give him all that he wanted. The punctures were not deep but just deep enough to give him a steady flow of blood. Dr. Martin woke up when he first bit down on her skin. She saw what he was doing and let him continue. She put her arms around his head and let him continue for awhile. When she started to feel light headed she pushed him away. He didn't like it but he didn't try to continue either. He just stuck his thumb in his mouth and contentedly went back to sleep.

Dr. Martin didn't notice it but Cordelia had been watching her and Angel. When Dr. Martin pushed Angel away and he went back to sleep she spoke to her 'Why did you let him do that?'"

"I did it for me and not for him. I did it so that we would be joined as Mother and son not only in words but in fact. I have now given him my blood so that he could obtain nourishment. Just as your body and blood nourishes your daughter that is growing inside of you I have now given Angel my blood. We are now truly Mother and son."

Dr. Martin put her hand to her nipple to check to see if it was still bleeding. Her hand came away free of blood. Apparently as he was sucking on her breast his saliva was healing her. She had felt him biting down several times and that was apparently because the wounds had started to heal and were closing off his supply of blood.

Dr. Martin reached up and ran her hand over Angels head. "My son, I loved you from almost the beginning. As we went through the many layers of your mind I grew to love you more and more. I saw the suffering that Angelus put you through and my heart broke for you. I can't tell you how hard it was for me to keep from crying in front of everyone. What you did tonight was wrong. Because of your choosing to go it alone Angelus came through. Apparently you are still full of pride in your own abilities. We will work on this though my son. We will work on this." She gave her son a kiss on his forehead then once again rested her head on her pillow.

"I know your still awake Cordelia. If Angel should roll over in his sleep and try to suckle at your breast don't let him. I don't think he will but he might. With you having just had a problem with having contractions you are to vulnerable. When someone suckles at a woman's breast, whether it is a baby or a man, it makes her uterus contract. So just say no and push him away. Whether he continues to do this or not all depends on how long his mother nursed him."

The next morning Dr. Martin and Cordelia were awakened by a knock on the door. "Grandma, are you ever going to come out of there? I'm bored and hungry. I want my partner in crime to come out and order me some food." Cordelia answered Connor. "Grandma will be out in a minute Connor." Angel woke up at all of the noise. He smiled at Dr. Martin and gave her a kiss on her nose. Apparently he had aged 4 or 5 years during the night.

"What was that for?" Dr. Martin asked. Angels head was still on her arm and he had his arm around her waist. "Because I love you and it makes me happy when I have you all to myself and Da is gone." "What are you going to do Liam if Mamma should have another baby?" Liam sat up in bed. He had an angry look on his face. "You can't have anymore baby's because then I would have to share you and I don't want that ever to happen." Liam said as he got off of the bed and went to the corner and pouted. "Liam how old are you now?" Dr. Martin tried the easiest way to find out what age he was at now. "I am 6 years old now." "Don't you think you're a little old to be acting like a baby?"

"I'm not a baby. Da is always taking you away from me. He makes me sleep by myself and he won't even let me have a puppy so that I can have a friend. I hate him and I wish he would go away." Angel continued to sit in the corner. He hid his face so that no one could see his tears.

Dr. Martin got up from the floor. She went into the bathroom to relieve herself. Angel followed her and pounded on the door. "Momma what are you doing?" "I'll be out in a minute Liam. Are you hungry?" "Yeah." "What do you want for breakfast?" "I want pancakes and lots of syrup and butter." Cordelia was watching him from the chair by the door. Angel giggled when he said he wanted pancakes with lots of syrup and butter. He liked it when his mother catered to his every want and wish. Angel finally acknowledged Cordelia's existence. When Dr. Martin came out of the bathroom he asked her "Who is that woman Momma?" "She's a very good friend of mine that is visiting with us. She is going to have a baby so don't play rough with her. I want you to be on your very best behavior, do you understand?" "Yes Momma. How do you know she is going to have a baby?" "Because she said so and you can see how round her tummy is and if you put your ear to her tummy you can hear the baby's heart beat." "May I listen lady?" "Yes you may Liam." Cordelia said with a smile. Angel got on his knees and put his ear to Cordelia's stomach and listened for awhile. He slowly grew a smile across his face.

"Why don't you turn the television on and see if you can find us cartoons." "What's a television?" Dr. Martin put her hand to head. She had forgotten what year Angel was living in right now. She thought quickly as to how to cover her tracks. "It's a new toy that Da bought you." She took him over to the TV and showed him how to operate it. Then she came back to Cordelia and pulled her into the bathroom. "Cordelia would you go out please and order what Angel wants and I'll take a Bagel with strawberry cream cheese and two eggs over easy. When you get through calling in the order I want you to go next door and take Connor with you. Tell them what has happened and explain to them that they are going to come over and have breakfast with us. While we are having breakfast I am going to try to get Angels attention and hypnotize him so that we can get to the bottom of his problem." "Okay Mom." Cordelia said. She then walked out of the door and made sure that she closed it behind her. Dr. Martin went over to Liam and sat next to him. "This is the best present I ever got Momma." "Make sure that you thank your Da the next time you see him." For the next 45 minutes they sat watching cartoons.

Cordelia in the mean time had gone with Connor next door to explain to everyone what had happened. To her surprise Giles had arrived last night. Since the suites had 3 rooms he had stayed with Wesley, Fred, Buffy and Spike. As she explained what happened last night she could sense Wesley and Giles anger. Before we go over their Dr. Martin wants you to understand that you are to play along with whatever happens. Also you are going to see that Dr. Martin has black and blue marks on her face and that she is rather pale. Try not to react to these things. Above everything else though we do not want any action to be taken against Angel. The food should be coming soon. Let's go. Cordelia got up and led everyone over to her suite.

Everyone filed in and chose their seats and sat quietly. In another 15 minutes the waiter knocked at the door. They pulled the cart into the suite and Cordelia signed for the food and the waiter left. The others had ordered food also so they all sat down to eat breakfast. Cordelia went into the bedroom to let Dr. Martin know that the food was here.

Liam jumped up and pulled Dr. Martin with him. "I'm hungry Momma, lets go." Dr. Martin had dressed him already in black pants and a white shirt and a dark navy blue pull over sweater.

She took his hand and he pulled her through the door but then stopped and stepped behind her as soon as he saw everyone. The men stood up as Dr. Martin came in. They saw the black and blue marks on each side of her face. The bruises stuck out more prominently because of the paleness of her skin. "Good morning Miss Martin." Wesley said. He gave her a big smile.

"Come and sit down Liam. Liam sat down between Giles and Dr. Martin. He was still holding onto her hand. Dr. Martin put his pancakes in front of him. "Here are your pancakes just like you wanted, and look, Cordelia gave you extra butter and warmed up your syrup. Wasn't that nice of her." Angel had such a truly innocent smile on his face that they all responded. "Thank you Cordy." Dr. Martin and Cordelia looked at each other. "Why did you call her Cordy?" "I don't know. I must of heard it from someone else."

"Liam do you know anyone else at the table?" Dr. Martin asked. Angel carefully looked at everyone at the table. The women smiled back at him but the men were not smiling at all. Angel took Dr. Martins hand and held onto it. "No I don't think I've ever met any of them. I only know Da, and Miss. Chase." Angel had pointed to Giles when he said Da. This surprised all of them. "Momma can I go back to my room?" Dr. Martin saw tears starting to collect at the corners of Angels eyes. "Why are you crying Liam?" "I'm afraid of those men. They are looking at me like they hate me." "That is silly Liam, why would they hate you. You said that you've never met any of them. Now sit up straight and let go of your Mothers hand and let her have her breakfast and you eat yours. The syrup that Miss Chase warmed up for you is getting cold." Giles said. He liked playing his role. In fact he was really getting into his part. Dr. Martin asked Cordelia if she had seen any candles around here and if she did would she light one and put it in the middle of the table and turn the lights out.

Cordelia did as she asked. Angel didn't say anything about the candle because during his childhood it was common to light the room with candles. He did as Giles had told him and started to eat his pancakes. When everyone was done eating Cordelia lit the candle.

Everyone had stopped talking. Dr. Martin was trying to get Angels attention on the candle. They all put their utensils down and you could hear a pin drop.

"What's the matter, how come everyone is so quiet?" Liam asked. He had finished his pancakes and had picked up the plate and was licking the last of the syrup off of it. "Liam if you are still hungry you can have my toast, but we do not lick our plates." Since Angel recognized him as his father Giles decided to correct him. "I'm sorry Da, I apologize everyone for my behavior. Me Da says that I am not a baby anymore so I must act like a little gentleman. Please forgive me." Angel wiped his hands then folded the napkin and put his hands in his lap.

Fred felt sorry for Liam so she tried to get his attention to go to the candle. "Isn't that a pretty candle Liam." "Yes Mam it is. My Mother makes them herself." "I think that this is the one that I made just for you Liam. Remember that I said I was going to make it so that the flame danced. Look at the flame Liam. See how it dances over the wick. If you look very closely you can see how the flame dances around and around the wick. Listen to my voice only Liam. See how the flame dances to my words. It dances around and around the wick. Your getting sleepy now Liam. See how the flame goes around and around the wick. Your eyelids are getting so heavy that you can hardly keep them open. Go to sleep now Liam."

Fred noticed Spikes eyes closing, so she poked him in the ribs. Buffy did the same to Connor. " It's time for your nap now Liam I want you to go to the bedroom and lay down on the bed on the side close to the window. Momma will be in to tuck you in, in a few minutes." Angel looked at Giles. "May I be excused Da." "Yes Liam you may be excused."

Angel went into the bedroom and took his clothes off and crawled into bed. Everyone followed Dr. Martin in, in a few minutes. They each took a seat around the room. Dr. Martin told Angel to sit up so she could put some pillows behind him. Cordelia and Dr. Martin put enough pillows behind him so that he was almost sitting up.

Dr. Martin pulled up a chair next to the bed. "Liam, where is Angel?"

"Angel is in the back room. He said he was going to look for something that he hid a long time ago."

"What is he looking for?" "He doesn't know for sure but he said he will know it when he sees it."

"Let's go for a walk Liam. I want you to close your eyes again. We are going to go forward three years Liam. How old are you now Liam?" Angels eyes opened. He had a smile on his face.

"I am 9 years old and Da is taking Momma and me to the beach to have a picnic. And the best thing is, is that Da is going to leave us and go back into town. I am going to have Momma all to myself today and no one will take her away from me. Not Da, not the farm work and not the kitchen work." "Your happy that you have your Momma all to yourself?" "Yes." Angel had a big grin on his face.

"What does your Momma look like Liam. Can you tell me how her hair is? Is it short or is it long, and what color is it? Is it like yours or is it red?" "Momma is tall like Da. She has long red hair. When she is at the beach she lets it down and she gives me her brush so that I can brush it."

"You like brushing your Mommas hair?" "Yes it makes me feel good and Momma sometimes falls asleep when I'm brushing it. She is laying down now. You know, Momma usually has a flat tummy but lately she has been getting a bigger tummy. When she woke up from her nap I asked her about it." Angels face took on an angry look.

"Why are you so angry Liam?" "Mommy said that she is going to have another baby pretty soon and then I'll have a little baby brother or sister." "Aren't you happy to have a little baby sister or brother?" "No, I don't want to share her. She is mine. As soon as I see that baby I am going to take it away and give it to someone that wants it. Because I don't. I don't want to share Mommy with anyone else anymore."

"Okay Liam I want to go for a walk again. We are going to take a walk 4 more months ahead. How old are you now Liam?" "I am 10 years old."

"Where is your Mommy?" Angel started to cry when she asked about his mother. "Why are you crying?" "My Mommy is in her bedroom. She is screaming. There are two women with her. Da and I are sitting downstairs in the kitchen. He and I are crying because Mommy is screaming so much. I think those women are hurting her. I tried to go upstairs to stop them but me Da stopped me. I asked him why Mommy was screaming. He said she was bringing a baby into the world and I was to stay out of the room. We waited for a while longer then me Da and I went outside to feed the animals. I could hear Mommy screaming even from the barn. When we were closing the barn door we heard a baby cry. We ran into the house and up the stairs. One of the women came out. She had rags that had blood all over them. We went into the room and the other woman came to me Da and gave him something. They said it was a Girl. I went to Mommy and tried to hug her but Da pulled me away. I hated that Girl because she caused my Mommy to scream and she hurt her. But I hated her even more because I didn't have Mommy all to myself anymore. I had to share her now."

"Where is Angel now Liam?" "He is standing beside me now. He said he found what he was looking for and he needs to go home now."

"Okay Liam it was nice having you visit with us. You are a very good and polite young man. I am sure that your mother loved you very much. Good bye Liam. When I count to 3 you will awaken Angel. Liam will go back where he belongs in your past. ONE, you will be very hungry for a glass of blood when you wake up, TWO, after you drink your glass of blood you will want to go to sleep. But first you will make sure that Angelus is locked away behind his steel cage again. You will give the key to the lock on that door to St. Michael so that Angelus can never get out again. Come back to us now Angel. THREE." Before Angel could open his eyes Dr. Martin left the room, she didn't want him to see the black and blue marks all over her face yet.

Angel opened his eyes. Cordelia handed him a glass of blood. "How did you know I wanted that?" "You haven't had any since yesterday so I was pretty sure that you would be hungry for it." Angel took the glass from Cordelia and drank it all. He gave her back the glass. "Thank you. For some reason I am real tired. I think I'll sleep for a little while." Cordelia pulled some of the pillows from his back so that he could lay down flat. He closed his eyes then and went to sleep. Everyone filed out of the room.

Dr. Martin was sitting at the table having some more coffee. The rest sat down also. Spike was the first one to speak up. "Why didn't he acknowledge the fact that we were all in there?"

"Until he fulfills all that I told him to do he is still in a semi hypnotic state." Dr. Martin said. She took her bagel and warmed it up in the microwave. When it was done she came back to the table and sat down. The all noticed how she was walking slowly and carefully. She felt like she barely had the strength to put the cream cheese on the bagel. They waited for her to eat some of it. She looked so pale that thought she needed it.

"What happened last night Dr. Martin. Cordelia didn't tell us to much. She said that you would tell us if you wanted us to know." Giles leaned back in his chair and waited for her to answer.

"Angel was looking for an answer. He had a question and he couldn't come up with the answer. He knew from his dream that he had at the cemetery that he was the one and not Angelus that was holding onto the guilt that he felt for killing his sister. Remember Spike when he was talking out loud during his dream and he said 'I won't let me go'?" "Yes, I thought that, that was a rather odd way of putting it. I thought he was talking about Angelus because they share the same face." Spike said. "No, when he said that I knew that he was the one that was holding onto his guilt. He thinks that he wanted to kill his sister and that's why he didn't stop Angelus."

"You still haven't told us what happened last night. How did you get those black and blue marks all over your face? Your left eye looks like it was swollen real bad last night." Giles pursued his previous question.

"When Cordelia and I went into the bedroom last night and took the drinks in along with the bottle of Southern Comfort we found Angel on the balcony. We set everything down on the table then grabbed a couple of blankets so that we could sit outside with him. When we sat down. Angel poured some of the liqueur into Cordelia's and my tea. He poured a lot into his glass of blood. We sat for a few minutes slowly drinking our drinks. Angel finished his drink first. He put his finger around the inside of the glass and licked it. As he was doing this he looked over at Cordelia. Cordelia knew right away that Angelus was the one that was sitting on the balcony and not Angel. He walked over to Cordelia and put his hand around her neck. At first I thought he was just starting to play with her but then I heard her start to cry out as he forced her to stand by pulling on her neck. He started to fondle her roughly. I tried to make an exit as though I thought he was starting to make love to her. But he told me to sit down or he would break her neck. He picked her up and threw her on the bed. I guess he thought twice about it because he said that he didn't think that Angel would like it if he caused Cordelia to lose his baby so he came over to me. He put his arm around my waist and started kissing me. He forced me to the floor. It was clear to me that he had every intention of raping me. He tore my blouse off then he slowly undid my bra and took that off. After he was kissing me a few more times and fondling my breasts he pulled the rest of my clothes off. When he was on top of me and had his hand up between my legs I lost control of myself for a second and I tried to scream but he put his hand on my mouth to prevent the rest from hearing me. Cordelia tried for the door but he stopped her and threw her back on the bed again. This time he told her that he would kill me if she tried it again.

When he came back to me he unzipped his pants." Dr. Martin stopped for a moment. Silent tears were coming down her face. She wiped them away and blew her nose.

"When he got on his knees so that he could take me I started calling out to Angel. I asked him to help me. I knew that it wasn't his fault. I knew that he didn't know that Angelus would come through when he decided to take this journey. I called out to St. Michael to help Angel control Angelus. That's when Angelus started to beat me in order to make me shut up. But just as he was about to enter me again he started to lose control of Angels body. Angelus forced my legs apart then lifted me up so that he could reach me more easily. Within the next second he collapsed on top of me." Dr. Martin started to cry when she was done telling them what had happened.

Spike went over to her and picked her up and put her in his lap as he sat down again. Dr. Martin was about the same size as Buffy as far as height went. He had no problem handling her with his Vampiric strength. He hugged her and she put her arms around his neck as he rocked her back and forth as she cried her eyes out.

"Spike I have never been so scared before." She said in between sobs. She was crying so hard that her whole body shook.

"I was so scared that all of my years of experience and training went out the door. I was doing okay up until he started to push himself inside of me. That's when I started calling Angel to help me. Spike I am so ashamed that I lost control like that. As a psychiatrist I know better than to lose control when confronted by a patient. But I was so afraid."

Everyone else was crying also. They had all been hurt by Angelus and they knew how bad he could get. As far as they were concerned Angelus was the personification of evil.

Spike picked her up and started to take her into her bedroom but she stopped him. "Put me down please Spike." Spike put her down carefully. She continued to hold onto his arm but she turned around to everyone. "I don't want anyone to talk to Angel about what I just told you. No one is to take any action against him. As my patient I will have to handle the ramifications of what Angelus did. It is going to hit him hard and I don't want anyone making it worse. Cordelia would you go and check on Angel. Wesley go with her to make sure everything is okay. If he is still sleeping then let him sleep. Buffy would you come with us please." "Yes Dr. Martin." Buffy quickly got up to follow them into the bedroom.

When they got to her bedroom Dr. Martin carefully sat down on the bed. "Buffy get me my medical bag please." Buffy went to the dresser and retrieved the bag for her.

"Spike, remember when you practiced performing a procedure on Buffy?" "Yes." "Well I want you to do the same thing to me. I didn't tell everyone that Angelus did take me, he just wasn't able to do it for long because Angel was fighting him for control. I feel like my insides are torn. I want you to check my vagina out and the area around the outside as well. Angelus knows exactly how to hurt a woman Spike. Do you think you could do this for me?" "Yes. If you tell me exactly what I am looking for I can do it." "Okay then I have faith in you Spike. I am going to fill out some prescriptions first and I need Buffy to go with Wesley to pick these up. I would send Connor but the pharmacist will take it better from an older man. I am going to give you a list of other things that you will need that I want Buffy to pick up. Give him my business card and tell him that it is for me. If he wants to verify my medical ID he can call my hospital and charge me for the call. Don't tell Wesley why I need all of these things Buffy." Dr. Martin gave her a list of the supplies and the prescription, credit card and Business card. Buffy left then to get Wesley and they left right away.

When she left Dr. Martin laid down. "Spike, if we darken the room as much as possible and I let Angel come and see me will he be able to see the bruises on my face and the paleness of my skin?" "We can make out shapes and we can figure out who or what something is by their scent but we can't see things such as a blemish on your skin." Spike said as he got up to close the drapes and make the room as dark as possible. Fortunately the windows were framed so when the drapes were closed their was almost no light at all. "Try to get some rest Dr. Martin." "I think I will Spike. Wake me when Buffy gets back."

Dr. Martin had only slept for 15 minutes when Cordelia knocked at the door softly. Spike quickly got up and answered the door. "Spike Angel wants to see Dr. Martin." "She's sleeping right now she is having a bad migraine headache. We should let her sleep." When he said that Angel pulled Cordelia to the side and pushed his way in. "It's okay Spike let him in." Dr. Martin said from the bed. Angel came over to the bed. He noticed how it was so dark. "Why is the room so dark?" Angel asked Spike. "I don't want you to see me just yet Angel." Dr. Martin said. "Why?" Angel was starting to get agitated. Spike stepped between Angel and Dr. Martin. "Angel she does not want to see anyone right now." Angel knew by the tone of Spikes voice that he was serious and that he wouldn't be able to stay and talk to Dr. Martin without fighting Spike. For now Spike was Dr. Martins champion instead of him and that hurt him. "Angel I promise that I will see you in a few hours. Right now I need to rest. Give me a kiss now and go to your room."

Angel hesitated for a minute then he came over to her and bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Unfortunately it was where the worst bruise was and she sucked in her breath when he kissed it.

Angel reached for the light and switched it on. He stared at her. After a few minutes he asked the inevitable. "What happened to you?" Angel sat on the side of the bed and put his arm on the other side of her and leaned in where he could examine the bruises. He put his hand up close to the bruises. Angel got up from the bed when he realized that his hands matched the shape of the bruises on her face. He got up and backed up and away from her. "I did that didn't I?" "No Angel you didn't do it. Angelus did." Buffy came in at that time and Dr. Martin asked Angel to come to her and sit on the bed by her. She put her hands on his arms and said with tears in her eyes. "Angel please don't ask me anymore questions and do as I ask and go to your room. I promise I will come and talk to you after I have had some rest. I'm having a few medical problems and Spike is going to help me. Please Angel go back to your room and let me rest for awhile." Angel hesitated at first then he got up and left.

Buffy came back in the room as Angel left and went to his room. Dr. Martin and Spike opened the packages and Spike read the labels on each. Buffy helped Dr. Martin to get undressed and put a couple of towels under her. Spike was putting the batteries in the large flash light and then he went to wash his hands and then put the latex gloves on. He had filled up a container with warm water and brought some soap and a wash rag over to the bed. Buffy let Dr. Martin hold onto her hands.

"Okay here we go Dr. Martin are you ready?" "Yes go ahead." Spike found dry blood on her so he cleaned her up first then proceeded to examine her. It was so painful for her that she dug her nails into Buffy's hands and was crying quietly.

Thirty minutes later he was done. He cleaned everything up and Buffy helped Dr. Martin to put a nightgown on and helped her to get under the covers. When Spike was through cleaning up he came back to her and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed. He pulled out some regular buffered aspirin and gave it to her along with a glass of water. "How are you feeling now?" Spike asked her. "Better, I am real sore but I am pretty sure that I'll live." She gave him a slight smile. "

Well I found a lot of tearing. Nothing real bad but it's going to take awhile to heal. Like you said Angelus knows how to hurt a woman. It looks like he grabbed you hard enough to dig his nails in to your flesh. His nail marks are on the inside of your thighs as well as the flesh between your legs. Like I said he wanted to hurt you not kill you. Not that way anyway. I noticed though that your right breast is all black and blue also what happened there?" Dr. Martin was hesitant to answer. "Liam woke up in the middle of the night and he still had the mind of a baby. He was hungry. My breast was the closest one available since he fell asleep with his head on my chest. He was able to open my nightgown and started sucking on my breast. But the odd thing about it Spike was that he remembered that he needed blood so he bit down around my nipple and sucked on the blood coming out. I let him do it until I got light headed. I didn't see any harm in it since it would have been rather odd to send Connor out for a baby bottle in the middle of the night. Anyway Liam had to bite down several times in order to keep the blood flowing. His saliva kept on making the cuts heal." Dr. Martin was very tired now. She could barely keep her eyes open.

"Let me take a closer look at it?" Spike said. Dr. Martin unbuttoned the top of her nightgown and pulled it down so that he could see her breast. "Buffy could you hold the light right on it please." Buffy did as he asked and Spike checked the bite marks. He pressed down lightly around her nipple. He could see that their was blood trapped under the skin and he told her this. He took another syringe out of her medical bag and put some topical anesthetic onto a piece of gauze and placed it around her nipple. After a minute he pierced the skin just below the upper layer of skin and carefully pulled on the syringe. He pulled out about 1/4 of a cc of blood then pulled the needle out. He showed her how much he got then put the cover back onto the needle and put it back into the bag. He put a bandage on the puncture wound and buttoned her blouse up again. They left her alone to sleep for awhile then. Spike brought a chair over to her door and sat down in it and wouldn't let anyone go in to disturb her.

In the mean time the rest could hear Angel walking back and forth in his bedroom. Cordelia was lying on the couch and was getting some sleep also. It was 5:30 p.m. by the time Dr. Martin woke up. She carefully swung her legs to the floor and took several minutes to stand and walk to the bathroom. When she was done relieving herself she removed her clothes and got into the shower. It took her longer than usual to bath since she was so sore. When she got out she brushed her hair until it was dry. Before dressing she put some more antibiotic cream between her legs since she had washed away what Spike had applied. She chose her long black skirt to put on and a long sleeved blouse. Before leaving her room she checked herself out in the bathroom mirror. Her bruises were still prominent against her pale skin. Their was nothing she could do about it because the colors were to deep. She checked her hair that she had put into a bun to make sure that there were no strands hanging down. Taking a deep breath she said a short prayer asking for help in guiding Angel. Then she opened the door. She found Spike sitting and guarding her door.

Spike got up and put the chair to the side. "How are you feeling now?" "Sore but better. Thank you Spike for everything. When you were an evil soulless Vampire I bet you never thought you would be put in such a situation?" Dr. Martin put her arm around Spikes waist and hugged him. "Never in a million years." Spike said as he helped her over to the living room.

"Where do you want to go?" Spike asked Dr. Martin. She looked around the room and saw a soft chair that was in the corner and out of direct light. "I want to sit in the chair that is in the corner." Spike helped her to the chair and supported her as she carefully sat down. He pulled an Ottoman over to the chair and carefully raised her legs and put the Ottoman under them. "Spike would you get the syringe and bottle that is in the bag that's on my night stand. I need for you to give me a shot of the contents.

When Spike left Dr. Martin saw Connor standing in front of her chair. She saw the tears slowly coming down his face. She held out her arms to him and he went to her side. "He did this to you didn't he?" Connor said this in almost a whisper. "Yes and no. It was Angelus using Angels body." Connors grandmother told him as she wiped his tears away with a kleenex. "Connor, Angel did something in his mind and he didn't know what the consequences would be. Remember how in Los Angeles when we were having sessions with everyone?" "Yes." "Remember how Angel was able to put himself in a trance so that he would be better able to control Angelus?" "Yes." "Well Angel did something like that but something happened that he didn't think could possibly happen." As Dr. Martin was explaining to Connor what happened to her everyone else came over and took seats close by so that they could hear what happened.

No one but Dr. Martin and Cordelia noticed that Angel had come out of his room and had taken a seat in the chair closest to his bedroom door. Cordelia was still on the couch and through the link that they shared she let Angel know that Dr. Martin was in the living room.

Dr. Martin continued to explain to Connor what happened. "While Angel started his journey in his mind to find out why he couldn't let go of the guilt that he felt for Angelus killing his sister Angelus used a split second opening to escape his cage. Cordelia and I went into the bedroom to sit and have tea with Angel and so that I could talk to him about his dream. We didn't realize that we were sitting next to Angelus instead of Angel. Without going into to much detail what happened is that Angelus raped me. He has a lot of hatred for me because of what I have done to help Angel and that I was instrumental in making it possible for Cordelia and Angel to be together without Angelus taking over. Angelus used this opportunity to get back at me. First he went for Cordelia then for some reason he stopped and said 'Since Angel won't be to happy if I

was to cause Cordy to lose his sweet Mary Kathleen I think I'll go and play with you.' Of course he was talking to me and that's when Angelus had his revenge and he started to rape me. When he pushed himself inside of me I was so scared and in so much pain that I called out to your father and begged him to help me. I told him that it wasn't his fault and I didn't blame him but that I needed him to stop Angelus. I called on St. Michael to help him. That's when Angelus started to hit me to make me shut up. But within a few seconds he was unable to control Angels body and he collapsed on top of me." Dr. Martin leaned back in the chair then and rested for a second. Then she leaned forward again and pulled Connors chin up and forced him to look at her.

"Connor I want you to go and sit down next to Cordelia. I want you to promise me that you won't say or do anything while I am talking to Angel." Connor hesitated. When Dr. Martin didn't get a reply she repeated herself. "Connor, promise me that you won't do or say anything." Connor finally promised then got up and went to sit next to Cordelia.

Spike had been waiting to give Dr. Martin the shot that she had requested. The needle was full of vitamin B12 and other vitamins that would help her to rebuild her blood supply. Spike also gave her a large glass of water so that she could rebuild her fluids. When they were done Spike went back to one of the chairs at the kitchen table and sat down.

Dr. Martin started her session with Angel.

"Angel would you bring your chair over to the middle of the room please." Angel hesitated at first as he looked around at everyone. Then he put the chair in the middle of the room.

"Angel why did you decide to do what you did and how you did it?" Dr. Martin asked. She took a long drink from her glass. Her body was trying to bring up the supply of blood in her body and it needed liquids to do that so it was making her feel very thirsty.

Every time Angel looked at the bruises on Dr. Martins face it encouraged him to do exactly as she said. "When I went to the monastery in Tibet to get over the grief that I felt over Buffy's death they taught me how to go on a journey inside of my own mind so that I could learn why I was feeling as I did and they also taught me how to deal with it. I used those techniques last night. But without their constant guidance my journey resulted in behavior that I didn't expect. I didn't expect Angelus to take over my body. Fortunately my journey hadn't gotten very far and I heard you calling out to me for help. That was when I realized that Angelus was controlling my body. With St. Michael's help I was able to take back control and put it in the hands of my younger self. I screwed up their also though when I went back to far in my past and my mind became that of a baby."

Angel looked Dr. Martin in the face and said. "Dr. Martin please believe me when I say that I could not control what my body was doing. My mind was on a journey and I was nothing but an observer. Liam was in control all of the way." Angel leaned back in his chair and covered his eyes in embarrassment.

Dr. Martin decided to tell everyone what happened next. She decided that it was important to Angels lesson.

"Once Angel and St. Michael put Angelus back in his cage what was left was Liam. The Liam that was left was about 2 to 3 months old. I am pretty sure that was his age because when Cordelia and I checked on him he was sucking his thumb. Newborns don't suck their thumb. At that point they don't even know they have hands and what they're for. Because Angel had the mind of a little baby I decided that Cordelia and I would sleep on either side of him during the night. I didn't know how long it would take Angel to go through his past so I decided to treat him as the baby that I guessed him to be at that point. I slept on Angels left and Cordelia was on his right. With his thumb in his mouth Angel placed his head on my chest and fell asleep. After what we had gone through we were both emotionally and physically exhausted. Sometime during the night Liam woke up and was hungry. I am sure that many of you have seen how a small baby will go for any breast that is near their mouth when they are hungry. Humans are not like animals where they sense their mothers smell first. They just go after whatever is sticking out their way and that's what Liam did. He went for my breast. When he realized that he wasn't getting what he wanted he bit down hard and drew blood. He then contentedly continued to suck on my breast but instead of milk he was getting blood. I woke up when I felt him bite down on me. Some how Angel's need for blood for nourishment came thru to Liam. He had to do this several times because of his saliva making the cuts stop bleeding. I let him continue to do this until I became light headed. Then I just pushed him away. I thought he might fight me so that he could continue drinking my blood but to my surprise he just stuck his thumb in his mouth and went back to sleep. So now you know why I am in the condition that I am in. We were very fortunate Angel that Angelus left Cordelia alone."

Dr. Martin stopped for awhile to see how everyone was taking this. After a few minutes she continued. "Do you understand now Angel why your inner self won't let go of the guilt you feel over your sisters death?" "I think I do. I believe that I was very possessive of my mother and I didn't want to share her with anyone. When my sister was born I believed that she was the cause of my mothers screams. In my young mind I hated her even before I saw her. When my mother died two years later I transferred that all consuming love from my mother to my sister. In my dream I saw myself trying to kill Kathleen. I think that I believed in the deep corners of my mind that I purposely did not stop Angelus from killing Kathleen because I hated her for taking my mother away from me."

"Of course you know how ridiculous that is now don't you?" "Yes, I understand now." "Do you think that you will have anymore problems with this anymore?" "No." Angel had his head down. He didn't want to look at anyone or see the look on their faces.

"Okay Angel now that we have that out of the way lets concentrate on your other problem. Do you know what that problem is?"

Angel was wringing his hands over and over. He knew what he did was wrong. Unfortunately he realized this after the harm had already been done, as was usually the case.

"Once again I let my own pride and lack of humility tell me to rely solely on my own abilities. And as usual I screwed up. This time though it almost resulted in the death of those that I hold most dear to me."

"Why do you continue to do this Angel. I know that you understood the lesson that I put together for you before I left. Why do you continue to rely solely on yourself." Dr. Martin said. She was very tired now but she wanted to continue. As the saying goes. Strike while the irons hot.

"Why do you think you continue to rely solely on yourself Angel. Doesn't the thought of you screwing up ever enter your mind to remind you of how badly you do when you let your pride guide you. How many people have been hurt by your pride Angel or have you lost count."

"I don't know why I can't control it. I know that I have to learn to listen to others and I do my best to follow everything that you have taught me. But this is the hardest thing for me to control and I try, I really do try but I continually fail."

Dr. Martin started to get up. Spike immediately went to her side to assist her. "Can someone get a chair and put it in front of Angel please." Buffy brought one of the kitchen chairs over in front of Angel and Spike stood by Dr. Martins side as she carefully sat down in front of Angel.

"If you agree to follow whatever I want you to do Angel we will attempt to help you to get over this pride of yours again." "Yes, I'll do anything just tell me what to do." "It's going to be very hard on you Angel and it's going to last until Mary Kathleen makes her first appearance in this world."

"I don't want anyone here to ever be in danger again because of me. I'll do whatever you say."

Cordelia stood up and came to stand in front of Angel and beside Dr. Martin. "Angel when you brought me over here from the hospital you said that you were sorry for being so selfish and putting yourself before me. You said, and I quote, "I promise to love you more than I love myself Cordy." Do you realize what you did to Mom and I. You say you love us but you keep on doing things like this that puts us in danger and it's all because of your own stubborn pride in your ability to handle anything. Angel don't you realize that Angelus did the same thing to Mom that those young Vampires did to me on the beach. You men don't realize how painful it is when a Virgin has sex for the first time. Mom hasn't had sex since her husband died. So she was just as small as a virgin and you're a big man Angel. I haven't slept around but I would guess that if you were to have a contest among all of you men as to who has the biggest erection that you would win."

"Buffy, you are the only woman here that I know of that has had more than 2 sex partners. How does Angel compare to other men that you have been with." Buffy turned bright red when Cordelia put the spotlight on her. "Uh I don't remember to much about that night but I would say that the only one that came even close in size was Reilly."

"I know that you men have a lot of pride in your own attributes, you men just don't understand how painful it is to take a man like Angel. Or any of you for that matter. Tell them Spike how much damage Angelus did." Cordelia was hot tonight.

Spike was hesitant to say anything because of patient Doctor confidentiality. He looked at Dr. Martin for permission to answer Cordelia's question. She nodded at him with an okay.

"She is pretty bad. Dr. Martin had a lot of vaginal tearing. Angelus knows exactly how to hurt a woman. The added fact that Angel has a large erection made things worse. If Angel hadn't been able to stop Angelus when he did I would say that Dr. Martin would of had to be taken to the hospital. That was not the only thing he did to her though. Angelus knows a woman's external makeup as well as her internal. I can tell you that Angelus is very handy with his hands when it comes to torturing a woman."

Every ones eyes where on Angel now. He was sweating blood and his hands were shaking. His love for Cordelia and the people around him was the only thing that was keeping him here instead of leaving so that he could never hurt anyone that he loves again.

"Angel this is what I want you to do from now and until the day or night that Cordelia goes into labor to deliver Mary Kathleen you are not to talk to anyone but Cordelia and I. You are to place yourself under Wesley's command. From now and until Mary Kathleen is born you will give up your seat at the head of the dining room table to Wesley. You will give up your office to Wesley. You will in fact not have a desk. You will speak only when spoken to if Wesley wants your input. I want you to keep a little black book where everyday, twice each day you will examine your conscience to see if your pride took over your thoughts. When I get home I will send a list of rules that you will judge your daily actions against. I want everyone else to also keep a book of how they think Angel is doing. You are not allowed to sequester your self for more than 2 hours a day. You are to take part in any fun activities that you are invited to take part in and you are to do it with a smile. All of this will be turned over to me every week until the day after Mary Kathleen is born. As Cordelia enters her ninth month you and I will talk again about this problem. Do you agree to all of this Angel?" "Yes, I do." "This type of training Angel has been used in convents and monasteries since the beginning of the Catholic Church. When a person that wants to become a religious and they are full of pride then these methods are used to breakdown that wall of pride. Pride puts a wall up between God and us Angel. I don't want that wall to prevent you from knowing God. But above all Angel I don't want to ever see Angelus again unless he is rendered impotent, and I don't mean that in a sexual way. On top of all of this Angel you are to pray the rosary a second time each day. I want you to ask St. Michael to help you to conquer your sin of pride."

Dr. Martin stood up and looked at everyone. "I know that these rules that I have given Angel seem harsh and extraordinary. But we have to keep in mind that the demon that Angel let out because of his pride could have killed Cordelia and her baby and came very close to killing me.

Wesley do you have anything to add or want to change?"

Wesley came over to Dr. Martin. "May I take the judges chair?" Dr. Martin sat again in the chair she had previously occupied. Wesley sat in the chair in front of Angel.

"I don't think that what Dr. Martin has given you is enough Angel. Some of orders that she has given you were already tried by me. If you remember we had pretty much the same setup when you came back to us and asked me if you could work for me. Since that didn't teach you anything Angel I am going to add something that is really going to humiliate you. In fact I think that you are going to be so humiliated that you will get yourself that proverbial coffin. Buffy do you know if Xander is working on a contract right now?"

"No, in fact I believe he just completed one and he is waiting for the contractor that he is associated with to make some bids on some big projects. I believe he will be free for the next 3 or 4 months." Buffy answered with a smile. She knew how Xander loved to tease Angel and how much Xander irritated Angel.

"I am going to ask Xander to come and work on the Hyperion. It still has a lot of things that need to be changed or repaired. I know that Cordelia and you need some changes made to your suite so that it can accommodate your daughter. The whole hotel needs to be made child proof. I know that Fred and I need more room now and I sure do envy you that whirlpool. So I think we have more than enough to keep Xander busy for the next 3 or 4 months. Also we are not only going to pay him for his time but we are going to give him an assistant." Angel started to protest. "I didn't ask for your input Angel." Angel looked pleadingly at Dr. Martin. Then he looked at Wesley and just nodded.

"That sounds good Wesley. I'll leave this in your hands now. I want everyone to know that I will be leaving the convent and I will be coming back to Los Angeles within about a month. Cordelia and Angel already know about this. Cordelia and Spike would you come with me please. Spike came to Dr. Martins side. When he put his arm around her waist he found that she was shaking. They only took a few steps when Dr. Martin collapsed. Spike quickly lifted her in his arms and took her into her bedroom. Cordelia and Spike were with her for only a few minutes. When they came out Spike reported to everyone that she was okay and that she was only weak from the loss of blood but she didn't want to go to the hospital for a transfusion. Cordelia is going to order some food for her and then she will probably sleep until tomorrow."

Cordelia asked everyone if they wanted to have dinner in or if they were going out for dinner. "I think I would like to go to dinner. Anyone else want to go with us? I think we've been in this place long enough." The rest wanted to go out also. Cordelia ordered for just herself, Connor, Dr. Martin and Angel. She was tired also and they had only one more day before they went home and she had to rest the rest of the night and tomorrow.

When everyone left Angel went to Cordelia. "Do you think that she would see me?" "Yes Angel she will. She has never stopped loving you Angel. When she let Liam take blood from her I asked her why she let him do that after she had pushed him away and he went back to sleep. She said 'I did it for me and not for him. I did it so that we would be joined as Mother and son not only in words but in fact. I have now given him my blood so that he could obtain nourishment. Just as your body and blood nourishes your daughter that is growing inside of you I have now given Angel my blood. We are now truly Mother and son.'"

Angel had his head down. "I'm afraid Cordy that if I go in to see her she may pull away from me out of fear. I don't think I could bear that."

"She won't Angel she won't. Haven't you noticed how I can clearly see when Angelus is in control. When Angelus looked at me out of your eyes I saw pure evil in them. Somehow Mom can do the same thing. And Angel we never get the two mixed up." "Would you come with me?" Angel asked Cordy. He still had his head down and was playing with her left hand and the ring that he had placed on her finger. "I think you should go in with Connor Angel. He needs to see how things are with you and his Grandmother." Angel stood up then and walked out into the living room where Connor was still sitting. Cordelia followed him out to the living room. Since Angel wasn't allowed to talk to him she had to tell Connor what Angel wanted.

"Go with your father Connor. He wants to see Dr. Martin and he needs you to be with him. In truth though he had asked me to go with him but I told him to take you so that you could see how things were between your Grandmother and Father." Connor got up and walked over to Dr. Martins door. He knocked on the door softly. "Grandma, are you awake." "Yes Connor come in."

"Angel wants to come in and see you, is that okay with you?" "Yes Connor let him in." Connor moved to the side and let Angel in. Angel came over and stood at the end of the bed. He had his hands in his pockets and wouldn't look her in the face. He shuffled from one foot to the other. After 5 minutes of this he finally stopped and raised his head and looked straight into her eyes. "Mom." She saw the blood red tears coming down his face. "Yes Angel." "I know that I don't have the right but I am asking you, can you possibly find it in your heart to forgive me?" Dr. Martin sat up in bed and stretched out her arms to him. "You don't even have to ask Angel. I could never hate you. How can a mother ever hate her own son." Angel went to the side of the bed and fell to his knees. He hugged her and cried on her shoulder. I'm sorry Momma I am so sorry. I try to follow everything that you taught me but my pride is so much a part of me that I am afraid it will take a long time for me to learn humility." "I have all of the faith in the world in you Angel. It will be very hard on you but nothing worth having is easy. I know that you will succeed."

Connor stood quietly in the corner and watched them. Each time that he saw his father in a vulnerable position and yet came out of it in one piece and stronger he always came away having a new and higher respect for him.

* * *

TBC............................................

D


	8. Chapter 8

The Gift

Chapter 8

The next day after sentence had been passed Angel was up early. He was laying next to Cordelia and leaning on one elbow just watching her sleep. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Cordy wake up." She didn't move. "Corrrrddddyyyy wake up." He heard her heart beat start to speed up. "Cordy I know your awake because I can hear your heart beating faster." Cordelia opened her eyes. "You know that's cheating. I can't ever win at that game." To shut her up he kissed her with the soft, gentle kiss that only Angel could deliver. His hand slowly went down to her breast and he started to fondle them but she reached down and pushed his hand away.

"What's the matter?" He asked her as he continued to shower kisses on her. "I can't let you do that yet Angel. Mom said that I need to avoid anything being done with my breasts because it will make my uterus contract and that I should avoid it for awhile." "Oh..... I guess that's out then. Why don't you do me a favor then and call Wesley. Tell him that I want to work out for a few hours and I need some one to join me. Namely Spike and anyone else that wants to join me. If it's okay with him he needs to let you know so that we can call the desk clerk and have them shut down the gym and pool. Besides Buffy and Spike are the only ones that can offer me any competition.

Cordelia called Wesley in the master bedroom and asked him about Angel going down to the gym and that he needed some competition. "Let me check with the rest and I'll call you back."

Wesley answered. Angel could hear them on the other side. He was reporting to Cordelia what they were saying. A few minutes later Wesley called back. "Okay Cordelia well meet you guys down at the Gym in 15 minutes." When she got off of the phone with Wesley she called the front desk and asked them to close down the gym. "No problem Mrs. Martin their isn't anyone in their right now."

Cordelia got up and put a maternity swim suit on then her sweat pants on and a maternity blouse on. As she was looking at herself in the mirror Angel came up behind her and put his arms around her. He ran his hands over her round stomach. "You're a beautiful Mommy. I better go and check on Dr. Martin cause I am getting turned on just looking at you." Angel opened the door. He didn't trust himself to stay there anymore. He went over to Dr. Martins door and gently knocked on it. "Mom can I come in?" "Come in Angel." Dr. Martin said as she sat up in bed.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Angel asked as he came in and sat on the side of the bed. The drapes were open now and the fresh air was coming in thru the windows. He noticed that she had the TV on with Warner Brothers cartoons on. "I am feeling a lot better now. Of course I haven't been up yet but still yet I feel pretty good." "Well I came over to tell you that we were going downstairs so that I can work out. Except for the workout that I had last week I haven't been able to get any exercise to speak of. The rest are going to join me down their. You know we don't fight those Vampires and demons with our good looks so we have to keep in shape. Well the others do but I am naturally devastatingly handsome and they usually just fall over from the mere sight of me." He saw the look on her face and said, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." She slapped him. "Your terrible." Dr. Martin said as she got up. "Get out Angel so I can get dressed and go downstairs and join you." Angel left then and warmed up a small glass of blood for himself while he waited for everyone. Let's go ladies. My boss said 15 minutes and that was 10 minutes ago.

Dr. Martin and Cordelia came out of their rooms at the same time. Connor came out also and followed them out of the door. By the time they got out of the elevator Dr. Martin was hanging onto Connors arm. They went to the gym doors and Angel opened the door for them. Everyone was inside and already working out. Connor took his grandmother to the side to sit down then he went over to the middle of the room and removed his jacket and draped it over one of the machines. Angel was already in the middle warming up. Connor joined him and started with stretches. After 15 minutes Angel was working out on the treadmill. Connor followed right behind him as he went to each machine. When Angel had used all of the machines he stood in the middle. He didn't know how he was going to get his message across since he couldn't initiate a conversation with anyone. He looked at Dr. Martin for help. She just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

He looked at Cordelia pleadingly. Cordelia pointed over to Wesley. Angel hung his head down and walked over to Wesley. He cleared his throat. "Yes, what is it." Wesley managed to get out as he finished with the stationary bike. "Uh I need to work out with Spike and maybe Buffy as well." "Okay Angel. Spike and Buffy, Angel wants to work out with you 2." Wesley yelled across the room.

Even though Connor wasn't called on he still wanted in on the fun. Spike, Buffy, and Connor came over to Angel and Wesley. "Okay Angel do you want to take us on one at a time or just Buffy and I or all three at the same time?" Angel held one finger up and pointed it at Spike. "Okay Sire lets go." Spike and Angel went to the mat while Buffy noticed that Dr. Martin was calling her over. Buffy went to sit with Dr. Martin and Cordelia to watch the show. Angel and Spike started out with wrestling moves but it quickly progressed into one of the various types of martial arts. At first Angel only defended himself then as he saw Spike starting to breath more heavily he advanced on him. Connor jumped in then and tackled Angel as he stood over Spike. Angel quickly got the better of Connor because he was letting his temper control his moves.

Dr. Martin noticed how Connor was quickly losing control of his temper. "Connor your letting your temper control your thoughts. Get it under control." Dr. Martin shouted to him. He looked at her and did his best to calm down. After another 15 minutes, between taking on both Connor and Spike, Angel was starting to breath more heavily. By working together Connor and Spike were able to get Angel face down on the mat. "Buffy, Wesley, and Fred help us." Connor called out to them. Buffy, Wesley, and Fred went running onto the mat and they all piled on top of Angel. At first Cordelia couldn't see any movement under the pile and she started to get up to stop them. Within a few seconds though every one went flying and Angel stood up. He started to pound his chest and gave his Tarzan yell. He then turned around and took his sweat pants and t-shirt off and jumped in the pool. The rest followed him in. They did a few laps around the pool then Angel got out and went to his ladies.

"Can Cordelia do some exercises in the pool?" Angel asked. "If she wants to I think it will be okay." Dr. Martin got up along with Cordelia. Angel helped Cordelia to take her shoes and sweat pants off while she unbuttoned her blouse. Dr. Martin removed her outer clothes also and stepped in the pool. She still felt weak but she knew that part of it was from being in bed to much. Angel let Cordelia hold on to him as she went into the pool. She was feeling awkward as she moved. She knew from the books she had been reading that this was to be expected since her center of gravity was being thrown off. Dr. Martin helped to guide her as she went through the exercises that she had taught her. Buffy and Spike were standing nearby and watching as was Wesley and Fred. The women knew that they would be in the same boat soon.

When Cordelia was through with her routine she did a couple of laps around the pool with Angel and Dr. Martin. They got out then and went to the showers. The women took longer of course but the men were ready within 10 minutes. Angel stood outside waiting and of course not taking part in the conversation between the men. The ladies came out together. "Let's get something to eat Wesley, we are starving." Cordelia said. They all went to the Hotel restaurant which was now serving lunch. Wesley lead the way in. When the waiter looked up he immediately recognized Angel but he didn't know who Wesley was.

"Mr. Martin welcome to our restaurant. How many will it be joining you?" Angel looked at Wesley.

"Mr. Martin is having a touch of laryngitis and is unable to talk right now. I am Mr. Price and you can address me for everything." The waiter answered with a yes sir. "Their will be 8 of us in all." Fred tugged on Wesley's shirt and he bent his ear down towards her. "Make that a table please." They all followed the waiter who took them to the back where they could have some privacy. People were starting to come into the inn for lunch and the restaurant was quickly filling up. Angel sat next to Cordelia and Dr. Martin. Which was understandable since they were the only ones he could talk to. When another waiter came over he automatically went to Angel. Everyone knew that he was the one that was paying for the suites upstairs and the word had quickly spread that he was a big tipper. Once again Wesley had to give the story of Angel having laryngitis. The waiter took all of their orders. Angel whispered his order to Cordelia and she gave hers as well as Angels. When the waiter left Angel whispered something else to Cordelia and she laughed at whatever he said. He kept this up until their food came. He stopped for awhile and ate his lunch. He started it up again as soon as Cordelia was done.

The first one to crack was Buffy. She put her fork down loudly. "Okay Angel what are you and Cordelia laughing about over there?" Angel just put his hands up and shrugged. He had the most innocent look on his face when he did it.

Cordelia was laughing so hard she almost choked on her milk. Dr. Martin had been aware of exactly what was going on. When Cordelia was able to talk she answered Buffy's question.

"Buffy he was just observing everyone and telling me how everyone was reacting to his whispering to me. It was a game to see who would crack first. He guessed that it would be Spike and I guessed you."

"Dr. Martin can't you do something with your child over there? He is purposely trying to drive me crazy. Buffy was really on edge. Dr. Martin noticed that Spike was being very sympathetic towards her. In fact he almost started petting her to calm her down.

Dr. Martin reached over to Angel and slapped him on the back of his head. "Stop that you mean kid. That is no way to treat your friends. Now apologize to Buffy." "I apologize Buffy." Angel said as he rubbed his head. Cordelia on the other hand was still laughing.

Buffy excused herself and went back to the suite upstairs. "Would you like me to go with you Buffy?" Spike said as he got up from the table. "No Spike I just want to be alone right now." Buffy said as she gave him a kiss. Spike sat down again. He just hung his head down, he looked so depressed.

"Come on Spike I know what's going on and now Angel and Cordelia knows also."

Spike raised his head. He had a big grin on his face. He looked at Giles who was sitting next to Wesley. "Congratulations Giles, your going to be a grandfather. She used a home pregnancy test this morning and it was positive. Apparently one of my boys found her egg."

Wesley shook Spikes hand and congratulated him. Angel and Cordelia came over and congratulated Spike also. When everyone was done congratulating him Spike looked at Dr. Martin and asked "Dr. Martin do you mind if we dispense with Angels punishment for today. I would like to be able to talk to him?"

Dr. Martin looked at Wesley. "What do you think Wesley?"

"I think because of the unusual circumstances and since every young Vampire needs his Sire at a time like this I will say yes. But for today only." Wesley said in a low voice.

"Lets go to the bar and have a few drinks in celebration. Common Connor you can go also. Wesley and Giles are you coming?" Angel asked.

Wesley, Giles and Connor all got up. Angel called for the check. The waiter came over and was surprised that he was talking. "I see your feeling much better Mr. Martin." Angel signed for the check and then gave the waiter a hundred dollar bill. "Yes and here is your tip." The waiters eyes grew wide. "Thank you very much Mr. Martin."

Angel put his arm around Spikes shoulder and guided him to the bar. Dr. Martin and Cordelia just looked at each other. "I guess we've been dismissed." Cordelia said to Dr. Martin and Fred. "I'm feeling pretty good today Mom do you think I could go out to do some shopping with the girls?" "Sure Cordelia go ahead. The first sign of even a twinge though come on back." "They all got up then and went upstairs to change and get Buffy. Dr. Martin was the only one to stay in the hotel suite." She welcomed the quiet. She made herself comfortable in front of the TV with a cup of tea. It wasn't long before she fell asleep on the couch.

Dr. Martin woke up when she heard the men come in. The women had come in shortly before but had done it very quietly. They had sat down and put their feet up. Where as the men came in supporting each other. When Angel tripped they all came down like a line of dominoes.

"Okay ladies I think it's time to get your husbands to bed. I'll take care of Giles. Connor seems to be the only one that has any common sense." Connor was sitting at the kitchen table and having a Pepsi. The women got up and helped their husbands to there respective bedrooms. Cordelia helped Angel to get up and more or less guided him to the bedroom. Angel sat on the edge of the bed while Cordelia started to take his clothes off. When she was done she pushed him down on the bed. He was out before his head hit the pillow. Cordelia covered him up then brought a tall glass of water and put it next to the bed.

Dr. Martin came back from next door. She was laughing so hard she had to sit down. "What's so funny Mom?" Cordelia asked. "Giles, he tried getting me to go to bed with him. He started kissing me and his hands were all over me. Before I could push him away he passed out on the bed. They are going to be sorry since we all have to get up early to leave for Dublin. Lets go downstairs to the restaurant. I am starving. Connor do you mind staying here. Were going to be talking about girl things. I am going to order some sandwiches to be brought up and they will be for the men if they want anything later okay?" "Okay grandma. I think I will take a nap also. I didn't drink like these guys but I did have some." "Okay I'll order the sandwiches for later. Put a glass of water next to your bed. You'll probably wake up real thirsty."

The women all went downstairs and had dinner. Dr. Martin ordered sandwiches for them to take back to the suite then they left to go back. They had a big day tomorrow and they needed their sleep. Fred and Buffy took their sandwiches and put them in the refrigerator then went to bed. Cordelia and Dr. Martin went to bed right away also.

The next morning they all got up with the sun. The women didn't let the men take time to be sick. They dragged them out of bed to take their showers and dressed them as they stood when told to stand and raised a leg or arm when told to do so. Dr. Martin went over and helped Giles get up also since she didn't have to take care of anyone. He had such a hangover that he didn't protest. She gave him one of her super duper shots that would help him to get over his hangover. She didn't have enough for everyone so Giles was the lucky one. When everyone was ready they called for two porters to come and get their luggage. They all went to the restaurant for breakfast.

After breakfast they sat and had some coffee and Cordelia had her tea. As usual Angel sat between Cordelia and Dr. Martin with Connor on Dr. Martins other side. Giles was watching them. "Dr. Martin may I ask you a question?" "Yes you may Giles." Dr. Martin said.

"I've been watching your interaction with Angel and I was wondering how it is that you can do this after what he did to you." Dr. Martin was quiet for awhile and everyone was looking at her. Everyone but Angel that is. Cordelia saw the look on his face and put her hand in his.

"I can do it because I love Angel and I know that, that man that raped me was not Angel but Angelus. I am sure that you have seen how Cordelia can tell when Angelus is in control. Cordelia sees him as two distinct people and I do also. If you don't understand that Giles then let me give you an example. Last night when you boys came in drunk the other women had to put their husbands to bed. They even had to undress them before they put them to bed. Since I didn't have anyone to take care of I came and took care of you. While I was getting you ready for bed you started kissing me and calling me Francine. When I finally got you to bed you tried to get me to go to bed with you. I tell you Buffy that Giles here has more moves than an ten legged Octopus. For awhile I thought I was going to have to call for help but you finally went to sleep and I was able to slide off of the bed and out of your grasp." Everybody was cracking up at the normally very proper Rupert Giles. While Giles just hung his head down in embarrassment. "But you know Giles I don't hold it against you because I know that, that man I helped last night wasn't you. That man that tried to get me to go to bed with him was a bottle of liquor and you, Rupert Giles, wouldn't remember what happened when that bottle of liquor was in control. Do you all understand now?" All of the men nodded a yes then they all got up to leave.

Wesley and Angel gave their tickets to the valets while Cordelia settled the bills for both the restaurant and the Inn. She gave an extra $500 as a tip to be divided up between everyone that waited on them. Wesley turned to Angel. "Angel, Fred and I are going to be going with Giles back to England. Buffy and Spike are going to be going home with you and on your flight. I've already called Xander about a job for the next 4 or 5 months. So he should be their when you get in. Have him start working on your suite first since you will be there to work on some plans. I have also already explained the situation with you to both Gunn and Xander. We will most likely be back in one week. I don't think I'll be able to stand my father any longer than that." The men shook hands and the ladies hugged. The Valets had loaded up the vehicles. Wesley had to drive to the rental company at the airport then they were going to be taking off with Giles.

The drive to Dublin was rather quiet since Angel couldn't talk to anyone but Cordelia and Dr. Martin. Cordelia sat up front with Angel and Dr. Martin and Connor were in the middle seats. Buffy and Spike were in the back playing a game on the TV that was in the back. The windows in the back were tinted dark enough so that Spike didn't have a problem. To get into the airport he had his long overcoat and a hat. The usual story that they told was that he was allergic to the sun. They had made it to the airport in Dublin with 2 hours to spare. They walked around the airport for awhile than went to the bookstore to load up on magazines and games to play. The flight they were taking would stop in Washington DC which is where Dr. Martin would take another flight to Manchester New Hampshire. The rest would get back onto the same plane and go onto Los Angeles California.

It was a long flight and Dr. Martin was tired by the time they landed in Washington DC. They had a 90 minute layover so everyone got off of the plane and went to have something to eat. When it was time to leave Angel paid someone that worked for the Airport to take care of her and stay with her until it was time for her flight to leave. Dr. Martins flight wouldn't take off for another hour. Cordelia, Connor, Buffy and Spike said their goodbys and left Angel to say his goodbye in private.

"Take care to follow all of my instructions Angel." "I will Mom. I can't promise that Xander will still be alive when you come back to L.A. but I will do my best. I better get going. I love you Mom. If you need anything give me a call. They hugged for awhile. Dr. Martin finally pulled away and gave Angel her blessing. He kissed her hand then turned and left." He wiped the tears from his face as he ran back to join everyone else. They had to walk fast to get to their plane but they made it just in time. They settled in for the long flight. "It's going to be nice to be home. We've been away for over 3 weeks." Angel said as he put his seat belt on.

"You know Angel when we get home that is when your real punishment starts. Xander is going to be hard on you and he isn't going to let up because he's going to be having to much fun. He is going to give you all of the most menial tasks that he can think of. Do you think you can take it?" Cordelia said as she held his hand in hers. "I have had to endure worse. Just to make sure though I want you to make sure that you have a hand towel at the end of the day handy at all times." "Why, to wipe the dirt off of your face?" "No, so that my tears won't stain your clothes."

As soon as the stewardess came around to see if they needed anything Angel ordered some ice in a glass and two of the small bottles of Southern Comfort. He wanted to sleep instead of thinking about the hell that he was going to be returning to.

Five hours later they arrived at the Hyperion. It was 2 a.m. in the morning and the ladies were dead tired. Angel and Spike took the suit cases that were needed right away up to their rooms. Cordelia and Buffy went into the kitchen to make some sandwiches for everyone and warmed up a couple of mugs of blood for Angel and Spike. Cordelia poured a glass of milk for herself and Buffy. They each took their sandwiches up for their husbands and themselves. They were to tired to have any conversation. They just wanted to eat then go to sleep. When Cordelia entered the room she found Angel on the bed. He wasn't asleep, just laying there. When Cordelia entered he jumped up to take the tray from her. Cordelia was so tired from all of the activity that day that she just had a couple of bites from her sandwich and drank her milk then started to get undressed and crawled into bed. Angel made her a cup of her special tea and brought it over to her and watched while she had at least half of it. Angel took the cup from her when she was done with drinking as much as she was going to. Her eyes were already half closed. Angel put the cup in the sink and put her sandwich in the refrigerator then turned the lights off and went to bed himself. Buffy and Spike had done the same. The only one that still had any energy was Connor. He made a big sandwich for himself and a Pepsi. He had tried the milk first but he quickly found out that it needed to be thrown out. As he sat eating his sandwich all he could think of was 'tomorrow the fun begins.'

The next morning both Cordelia and Buffy received a call from Dr. Thompson's office at 8 in the morning. Since they had arrived late last night they had all slept until the phone rang.

Cordelia answered the phone. "Mrs. Martin this is Dr. Thompson's office, I am just calling to let you know that you and Mrs. Buffy Summers have a 6 o'clock appointment to see Dr. Thompson tonight. We need Mrs. Summers to come in at least 30 minutes earlier so that she can fill out papers. Also we were told that you would have some x-rays and paper work from a hospital that you had to go to in Ireland." "Yes I have those and I'll bring them in with me." "Good, we will see you and Mrs. Summers tonight at 6 then. Good bye."

Cordelia laid back down and pulled the covers over her head. "Who was that?" Angel asked as he put the covers over his head and started kissing her shoulder. "It was Dr. Thompson's office. Apparently Mom made appointments for Buffy and I. We go to see him at 6 tonight."

"Don't you want to go?" "No. He'll probably scold me for going horse back riding." "Yeah but you asked Mom and she said it was okay." "Yeah that's what I'll tell him, I asked Mom if it was okay and she said yes. That means I'm off the hook." Cordelia got up then and went into the bathroom. After a few minutes Cordelia opened the door and shouted at Angel. "Are you going to join me for a shower?" In answer Angel jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom. Cordelia was already in the shower and Angel joined her as soon as he could take his shorts off. As usual he started to shampoo her hair. While she was rinsing her hair he did his own. Cordelia started to wash him with her Oil of Olay liquid soap. He usually used a regular bar soap but she was doing the washing now and she decided she wanted to make his skin soft. Angel started to wash Cordelia with the liquid soap also. As he washed her breasts then went down to her legs and then up and between she felt a shudder go through her body. She reached down and put her hands on him. He was starting to get hard also. She remembered what she had done to him the night he had to give a semen sample to Dr. Martin. She reached around to his back and ran her fingernails up and down his back gently. She slowly walked around him while keeping her fingernails in contact with his skin all of the time. Angel put his hands up and leaned forward against the wall. Cordelia blew gently on his back and she got the desired result. Angel shuddered from his head down through his torso. Then just as she was about to get on her knees in front of him someone started knocking on their door.

"Who is it?" Cordelia called out. "It's me Xander, I'm looking for my apprentice is he in there?" She could hear the grin on his face. "We'll be down in a few minutes Xander." Cordelia looked at Angel and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess play time is over and you have to get to work my dear." "Well I think that we will be able to get back together in just a very short time and resume where we left off." They rinsed off and got out of the shower and dressed. Angel put some jeans on and an old shirt. Cordelia put her new maternity clothes on and then they went downstairs for breakfast.

Buffy and Spike were already downstairs. Buffy had breakfast ready. "Have a seat you two I'll have your breakfast ready in a few minutes. Cordelia and Angel sat down at the table. Angel automatically sat down at the head of the table. Gun was at the table also and he made a loud noise as though clearing his throat. Cordelia looked at Gun. "Good morning Gunn. Did you miss us?" Gunn got up and came over to Cordelia and gave her a hug. "I sure did miss you. I see you've finally had to graduate into expectant Mommy clothes." Cordelia hugged him back. "Yeah when I tried putting my old jeans on to go horseback riding I couldn't zip them up. So that night we went shopping."

Gunn turned to Angel and Angel stood up and they actually hugged. Angel sat back down again in his usual chair. Gunn leaned over and put his hands on the back of Angels chair and Cordelia's. "I thought I would let you know that Wesley gave me a call last night and let me in on all that happened in Ireland. He asked me to watch out for you. He also told me about your punishment for letting Angelus take over for a short time. So I won't tell him about your first infraction against the new rules since it was your first time." Cordelia and Angel looked at each other then it dawned on him about the chair. Angel got up and sat on her side. Gunn just patted him on the shoulders and went back to his chair.

Xander came over to the table and sat down. Buffy brought Angel and Cordelia's breakfast in. Cordelia thanked her and dug in. They were both hungry.

"Well are you ready to go to work Angel?" Angel just nodded a yes at him.

"Uh Xander we are going to have to wait for awhile until Wesley gets back. Angel and I were talking about the Hyperion. Since we have to baby proof the hotel we are going to have to go a lot further than just moving a wall here or their. Since you have a lot of experience in this type of stuff we are going to let you take care of it. Since the Hyperion is an old building it probably is loaded with lead paint and asbestos. So what we need for you to do is have the building inspected from top to bottom. Set up everything to correct it and go to it. Bring as many of your men down here as you have to. When Wesley gets back we are going to hire an Architect and sit down with him and we will all decide how we want our suites to be designed. But until then we are going to rent a home where we can all stay. Because neither Buffy or I can stay around all of that dust and chemicals. Wesley will also go by my word when I say that I don't want Angel or Spike to be around all of those chemicals. I want the professionals to handle it. So you can observe but stay away from it. Buffy I got a call from Dr. Thompson's office. They said that we have a 6 o'clock appointment tonight. Have you ever been to an OB-GYN.?"

"No. I remember my mother telling me what they do to you and I don't want to go. Can Spike come in with me? Maybe he'll let Spike do what ever he has to do." Buffy said as she looked at Cordelia. "I don't see why not, Angel was in there with me, oh wait no he didn't. Dr. Thompson sent him out. It will be alright Buffy I'll go in with you if you want." Cordelia was laughing. Come on lets go look for a home that we can rent and that will be big enough for all of us.

"Can you girls drop me off at Dr. Thompson's? I just called him and he said I could work with him today." Spike asked as he came back to the table. He had gone to make a call when he was done with his breakfast.

The girls and Spike were out of the door in 10 minutes flat. Gunn, Xander and Connor were left with Angel sitting at the table and looking at the dishes and then the kitchen. Xander was the first to get up. "Well I guess I better get busy and call a couple of places to see who can come out and inspect this place. Your off the hook for at least the next couple of days Angel." Xander left his dishes on the table then went over to the lobby counter to start making some calls. Conner got up also along with Gunn. "Well I guess since Cordelia isn't here, and Wesley isn't here I guess I have to stay to take care of any customers, that is, since Angel can't talk to anyone. That leaves Angel to do the cleaning up of the kitchen." Gunn and Connor left Angel to his work.

Angel went to the roof of the Hyperion instead of taking care of the kitchen right away. He put his sunglasses on and took his shirt and pants off and just laid down on a towel he had brought with him to put on a lounge chair that Cordelia kept by the door that opened to the roof. Angel would have to return Hunter's ring to her soon so he wanted to try working on a tan for the first time in his existence. He knew from Cordelia that you have to start out with just 15 to 20 minutes of exposure on each side. He thought if he did that for the next few days he should be able to get some color to his extremely pale skin by the time he had to return the ring. Cordelia also had a timer that she used so that she wouldn't become over exposed. Angel set it for 15 minutes then laid down.

Thirty minutes later Angel was down in the kitchen cleaning up. When he was done with that he went upstairs and cleaned his room and unpacked all of their clothes. He kept himself busy all day doing all of the things that Cordelia and Fred would have normally done. By the time the girls got back he had cleaned the floors and dusted everything. That was something that Angel always gave time to. He didn't like to see dust on everything. He guessed that it bothered him because it reminded him of his age of almost three centuries.

Cordelia and Buffy came back at 3 o'clock to get ready for their appointment. Angel had missed her within an hour of her leaving him. As soon as he sensed her in the hotel he went running up to their room. "Cordy?" Angel called out as he opened the door to his suite. "I'm in the shower Angel." It took him mere seconds to get his clothes off and join her in the shower. "I missed you Cordy. I couldn't speak to anyone." Angel sank to the floor of the shower and just let the water hit him in the face. "This is going to be tougher than I thought. I went up to the roof today to try to work on getting a tan. Look at me Cordy. I'm not even red." Cordelia finished bathing then turned to Angel. She could see that he was feeling sorry for himself. She wanted to comfort him and her heart almost melted. "Stand up Angel. Lets wash all of that dirt and dust off of you." Angel did as she said and started to clean his hair while Cordelia washed the rest of him. Angel finished cleaning himself and they got out of the shower. Cordelia blow dried her hair while it was still wet and put her makeup on.

Angel had gone to sit on the bed. After awhile he laid back and stretched out. Cordelia came out and started to get dressed. She came over to Angel and sat next to him when she was done dressing. "Sit up Angel." Angel sat up and looked at her. "Angel I know that you thought that this was going to be easy but it is turning out to be the opposite isn't it?" "Yes." "Didn't you think that Mom knew what she was talking about when she gave you these rules to follow?" "No, I guess I didn't. I guess I thought that she doesn't know me very well if she thinks that this is going to be hard on me." "What you forgot was that she was giving you rules to live by that have been used for over a thousand years. Like Mom said they are tried and true methods. They have been used to

make good people into better people that were more pleasing to God. Now get up and get dressed. We have to be there by 5:15 so that Buffy can fill out her paper work." She slapped his leg and got up. "I'll see you downstairs ASAP mister." With that said she went out of the door.

Angel got dressed and went down stairs. Buffy and Cordelia were waiting for him. He waived to them. "Lets go Buffy." Cordelia said. They went to the back doors and then to the car. They arrived at the Doctors office right on time. Buffy and Cordelia checked in with the receptionist and Buffy was given a bunch of papers to fill out. Spike came out to the front as soon as they were ready for Cordelia. "It's your turn Cordelia."

Angel looked at Spike. He looked like a real Doctor with his white coat on. He had stopped wearing fingernail polish at Buffy's insistence, but he refused to give up the blond hair totally.

"You want to give me the paper work and X-Ray that they gave you?" Spike held his hand out to Angel since he was carrying the X-Ray and papers. He handed them over to Spike and all three went to the back. Spike took Cordelia's vitals then gave her a gown to put on then left with the X-Ray. Angel could tell that the offices were empty except for himself, Cordelia, Spike, Buffy, and Dr. Thompson. Everyone else had gone home. Fifteen minutes later Dr. Thompson had returned with Spike.

"Angel, I understand that Dr. Martin has sent you to the corner of the room for your punishment. Spike tells me that one of her rulings was that you couldn't talk until Cordelia goes into labor." Angel just nodded a yes. Spike in the mean time was preparing Cordelia for a sonagram. "Angel I have a call into Dr. Martin to get permission for you to talk to me about what happened last week while you were in Ireland. Spike explained to me why and how it's possible for you to feel everything that Cordelia felt. So I need and want to talk to you about it."

Dr. Thompson watched Spike to make sure he was doing everything right. Spike turned the monitor so that Cordelia and Angel could see their daughter for the first time. Spike didn't have to much experience in viewing the sonagram so Dr. Thompson had to point out her head, hands, feet. He looked at Angel. Like all fathers that saw their unborn child for the first time he saw tears forming in the corners of Angels eyes. He was holding onto Cordelia's hand.

"Angel give me your hand." Angel held up his right hand. Spike took Angels hand by the wrist and put it on Cordelia's stomach and put it just over Kathleens head. "Lets see if she responds when you try to make her aware of your presence." Dr. Thompson was watching the monitor closely as well as the rest. Angel closed his eyes and concentrated on her name and the name Daddy. He did his best to send waves of love towards her. He thought of the ocean waves going over her and caressing her. At first she became agitated when Spike put the monitor on her mothers stomach. She kicked her little legs out repeatedly as though trying to push the monitor away, but when Spike put Angels hand on her mothers stomach she rubbed her head against the inside walls of her tiny prison. As Angel continued to talk to her he could feel her head touching the palm of his hand. Angel reached for Cordelia's hand and held it while he continued to shower Kathleen with love. Cordelia put her other hand over Angels. Kathleen continued to rub her head against Angels hand. When her mother put her hand on top of Angels Kathleen curled her legs up tight and seemed to go to sleep. Angel opened his eyes then and kissed Cordelia's forehead.

"That was amazing to watch. You are truly blessed by God Angel. I don't know of any man that wouldn't give their right arm to be able to do what you just did. When you were sending your love to your daughter I could actually feel it in the room. We could see your daughter responding by rubbing her head against your hand." Dr. Thompson blew his nose and wiped his eyes. Spike had turned his head and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

The phone rang and broke the moment. Dr. Thompson answered it and called Angel over to the phone. It was Dr. Martin. She gave Angel permission to speak to Dr. Thompson and Angel told her about what had just happened. When he was done telling her Dr. Martin asked to talk to Dr. Thompson again. They could hear him talking about what he was finding with Cordelia and that he hadn't finished with examining her yet but that he would call her as soon as he finished with Buffy also.

Examining the two women took a total of 2 hours and it was 8 p.m. by the time they were heading out of the office. Dr. Martin had told Buffy and Spike that Buffy was definitely pregnant and read the riot act to Cordelia and Angel. As Angel had predicted though they answered with 'Yeah but we asked Dr. Martin and she said it would be okay.' And of course he came back with 'I don't think that she knew that you were going to be jumping fences. The horse back riding wasn't the problem Cordelia it was the jumping of the fences. Every time you landed on the other side of the fence and your behind hit that saddle your poor daughters behind must have been right over your cervix and bouncing on it. Now if I should hear about any kind of activity like this happening again I will take you over my knee and give you a good spanking, that is if your daughter survives. I want you to promise me Cordelia that you won't do anything like this again." "Yes Dr. Thompson, I promise." That was the end of that lecture. During the whole lecture Angel just kept his mouth shut and shuffled from one foot to the other. Cordelia gave him a dirty look when Dr. Thompson was done. She wanted him to speak up and say that it was partly his fault because he was the one leading the rest of them, but Angel looked at any place other than Cordelia.

Angel invited Dr. Thompson over for dinner so that they could talk. Angel wanted to talk to him as well. He was curious about his relationship with Hunter and he needed to return Hunters ring to her.

When they arrived at the Hyperion they found that Gunn and Lorn had already bought a dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and cole slaw. Cordelia and Buffy brought out plates and silverware for everyone. They didn't want Dr. Martin to think that they were ill mannered people that ate their dinner standing over the kitchen sink. Cordelia made two mugs of blood for Angel and Spike. Spike had been so busy all day that he hadn't had time to eat anything and he most certainly didn't have any blood to drink. So it was understandable when he quickly drank his mug then went into the kitchen and made another one.

"So what's the verdict Buffy is Spike going to be a Daddy or not?" "Yes he is going to definitely be a Daddy." Xander came over and congratulated her by giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek. He even shook Spikes hand and congratulated him. "We have to call Willow and tell her Buffy. You know she'll be mad if she finds out that we didn't call her right away."

I'll call her before I go to bed. I better tell Dawn and my father. I wish my mother was here. I miss her. Especially now." Spike put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a kiss.

"Don't worry Buffy, I'll share Dr. Martin with you. She's been like a mother to me also. My mother would have never given me the same love and affection when I needed it like Dr. Martin has." Cordelia got up then and made herself and Buffy a pot of her special tea. When she got back with the tea she gave a cup to Buffy. "Any morning sickness Buffy?" Cordelia asked as she sat down heavily. She seemed to be tired. "No not yet and I hope that I'll be one of the fortunate ones and never have it."

"Angel I wanted to ask you about Hunter." Everyone stopped talking and all noise ended. Six pairs of ears were tuned into the conversation at the end of the table. Dr. Thompson looked at everyone looking at him. "I wanted to ask you what your relationship with Hunter is?"

"We had a physical relationship in the past. But that was all it was. We have known each other for the past 200 years. Their was never anything more then that. We rarely see each other. Since she set up residence in Sunnydale though I've seen her more often than at any other time. About four years ago Cordelia and I were in Sunnydale to help Buffy. I was attacked by a group of demons and one of them crushed my spine. Hunter took care of me along with Cordy. And that is pretty much that. Except for the fact that she rarely wants to talk to me. She is still angry with me that I wouldn't kill her." "Why does she want you to kill her?" Dr. Thompson asked in astonishment. "Hunter is over 4,000 years old. Wouldn't you be tired of living also. She has had lovers before but she always outlives them. She has done this so many times that she didn't want to ever love anyone again because all she can do is watch them get old and die. So one day when we had been together for several years she asked me to kill her. It was the third time that we had met up again and I had been given my soul back already. So I refused and she almost dusted me she was so mad at me. Ever since then we are just acquaintances. Why are you asking?"

"I've fallen in love with her Angel." Dr. Thompson said. "So I've heard. My two lead reporters from the 'Sunnydale Chronicle Gossip Column' have reported to me about your dates."

Buffy and Spike just looked the other way as though they hadn't heard anything. "Apparently the feeling is mutual because they say that Hunter practically dances when she kills a Vampire or demon. Of course you understand what she is and that she is the only Vampire that can go out in the daylight once I give her, her ring back." "Yes I am aware of all of this. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't have any claims on her or that you were her guardian in some way. I guess that you all are about as close a family as she can get considering her only relative died 4,000 years ago. I think that, even though she won't admit it, she is a very old fashioned girl and it would please her if I was to ask your permission to date her." "Why me?" Angel asked.

"Because your Angel. The Master Vampire. Your like the Don of the Vampires in the United States. The difference is that instead of an Italian Mafia family it's a family of Vampires." Dr. Thompson finished off his coffee and leaned back in his chair.

"Where did you hear all of this stuff?" Angel asked. He thought Dr. Thompson was pulling his leg. "Marissa Morgan told me. She said that, that is why her husband wanted you out of the way in the first place when he had his original plan. Then when he saw "THE TAPE" and came up with this other idea he felt it would just be better to ask your permission to have this new business of his."

"Well let's get back to your original question. When would you like this ceremony to occur?" Angel asked Dr. Thompson. Never in a million years did Angel think that he would ever be put in this situation.

"I told her that I have several women that should be delivering this coming week and I had to stay here so she is coming down to L.A. next week Monday and will be staying with me for the whole week. So I guess it should be next week Tuesday. Is it okay if I tell her that she has to come here on Monday?" Dr. Thompson looked at Cordelia. "Is that okay with you Cordelia?" "Wait a second guys let me do some research on this as to how it should be done properly. Then I'll get back with you okay? But I think we can accommodate her so go ahead and tell her to come here." Cordelia said. She wanted this to be done right. She was kind of excited about it because it was almost like the beginning of a wedding.

Xander cleared his throat to get everyones attention. "Uh, Cordelia and Angel, I contacted the inspectors today and they will be here tomorrow. I am making a guess here but I am guessing that you all will have to be out of here by next week. I've already talked to a couple of businesses that specialize in the removal of lead paint and asbestos. As soon as they get the go ahead they can start work. So I hope you have someplace in mind that you are going to stay for the next month." Cordelia looked at Xander as he finished his little speech. He had changed just as much as the rest of them had. He was more mature now. He had responsibilities and from all that she had heard about him he was good at his job.

"Angel I think that we should call Wesley and ask him to return to L.A. or at least lets get him on the phone and talk to him about everything that is going on. I think that we should also get Mom in on the "meeting" as well since she has all of the medical equipment in the kitchen." Cordelia said it loud enough so that everyone could hear it. Then she turned and looked directly at Angel. "Angel I don't think that I can deal with this either. I need Fred here to take care of things and make decisions. Your daughter seems to be draining me a lot more now and I just don't seem to have the energy to deal with anything. I am going to go to bed now. It's been a long day for me." Cordelia had tears threatening to fall at any moment.

"What's wrong Cordy?" Angel asked with concern in his voice. He put his arm around her shoulder. "I don't know, all of a sudden I feel so depressed and so very, very tired. Take me upstairs Angel please before I start crying and you do to. You know how I don't like going through this alone." Angel looked at Dr. Thompson.

"It's only hormones and her body is making more adjustments to your daughters increasing demands. You took a blood sample this evening didn't you Spike?" "Yeah, it's waiting to be picked up tomorrow morning. You're thinking that she's anemic?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, put a rush on the test. As soon as you get the results give me your diagnosis. If it's what we think it is then give me your recommendation. I am going to talk to Angel for a second and then I am leaving. You better get some sleep also. Mrs. Winters is going to deliver at any time now. You better believe that I'll be calling you to meet me at the hospital. I forgot to tell you. Keep your hands well manicured while your working with me. Mrs. McGregor said you scratched her with a chipped nail." "Sure thing Boss." Spike said. Buffy got up then to clear the table. The men helped her clean up while she put the dishes in the dish washer.

As they all started to go upstairs Dr. Thompson came downstairs. "Angel asked me to tell you that he needs someone to set up the phone meeting between Wesley, Dr. Martin and the rest of you. He will be with Cordelia whenever you need him. He's starting to pick up on her depression and fatigue." Dr. Thompson approached the men and called them over to him. When the men came over he put his arms around Spike and Gunn. "After watching Angel men I can honestly say that if we were the ones that had to be pregnant and give birth the earth would barely have enough people to run farms let alone build skyscrapers. I think that when Cordelia goes into labor I am going to have a new respect for what women go through. Angel told me what happened when she was going through contractions for that short amount of time." Dr. Thompson turned and left.

"And your next Spike." Gunn left to go up stairs. Connor locked the door after Dr. Thompson then went upstairs also. He could hear Gunn still laughing a wicked laugh while Spike just walked after Buffy to their bedroom door.

Cordelia had settled down and went to bed after taking a shower. She had felt cold so she put a long cotton nightgown on. Angel had a nice cup of hot cocoa waiting for her when she came out. She drank her cocoa and then put the cup on the night stand then laid down and turned towards Angel and started to cry. "What's wrong Cordy?" Angel asked her is he held her close to his chest. "I don't know. I guess I'm just having one of those woman crying moments. Angel when you talk to Mom tomorrow tell her to hurry up because I need her to be with me now." Cordelia just hid her face in his arm and cried her eyes out. Eventually she stopped, blew her nose and wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry Angel. I guess this is just one of those pregnancy things. Do you feel okay?" She looked up at him. "It's not affecting me to much. But I don't know if it's because your crying and it breaks my heart to see you cry or if I'm feeling depressed like you are. Let's go to sleep now and hopefully things will be better in the morning." He put his hand on her stomach and sent his love to his daughter. "Goodnight my Mary Kathleen." Cordelia put her hand on his and said "Goodnight my Mary Kathleen."

The next morning Cordelia felt a lot better. Angel was still sleeping so she carefully got out of bed and dressed then started the coffee. She went down stairs then and made some scrambled eggs, sausage links, and toast then took it upstairs. She warmed up a mug of blood then went over to wake Angel up before everything got cold.

"Wake up sleepy head." She put the mug of blood by his head so that he would smell it. Angel opened his eyes and took the mug from her. "Thank my love. How are we feeling this morning?"

Angel asked as he sat up in bed. Cordelia brought the tray with their breakfast on it over to the bed and put it so that it sat between them. She brought their coffee cups over and put Angels on his side of the bed and took hers over to her side. Cordelia opened the drapes and doors to the balcony then went to the bed and crawled in. It was a beautiful day for once. The wind was blowing and had pushed any smog that was in the Los Angeles basin out and over the ocean. They could see the mountains from their bed. Their was still a little snow on top of the mountains. The days were getting warmer though so the snow would soon melt. They could hear the sounds of traffic coming from the street. Once in awhile a jet would fly close to the Hyperion as it came in for a landing at the airport.

"What does it feel like when you start getting depressed?" Angel asked Cordelia. They were done with the tray so Angel put it on the floor next to the bed.

"It feels like a wave that is coming over my head. I can be happy one second and the next I am actually aware of the wave of depression coming over me. No matter what I do I can't get rid of it. It just pulls me under like a wave that comes over you at the beach and when you try to stand up it pulls the sand out from under you. After awhile I just give into it and cry. It has something to do with all of the chemical changes that are going on inside of me. All I need for you to do Angel is hold me when I get like that. I need for you to be their for me as much as possible. When Mom comes back it will be a little easier for me. Just knowing that she is here makes me feel better." Cordelia pulled herself closer to Angel and wrapped her arm around his.

Xander came up to Cordelia and Angels room and knocked on the door. "Hey you two the inspectors are here. I need for you to get up and clear out of your room. They will be inspecting each room." "Give us 15 minutes Xander and we'll be out." Cordelia answered. Angel had already gone into the bathroom to take a shower. As Cordelia promised they were out of the room in 15 minutes and on their way down stairs. Angel took the tray into the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher. Then he made some of Cordelia's tea for her and some coffee for himself. They sat down at the dinning room table and watched Xander walking through the hotel lobby with the inspectors. He was pointing out some things and the inspector was pointing out some things. With all of the pointing going on you would think that the place was going to fall apart at any moment.

By the time that the inspectors were done it was 5 p.m.. Gunn came over to Angel and Cordelia from Wesley's office. "Okay Cordelia and Angel I have Wesley, Fred and Dr. Martin on the phone. Let's go over to the Lobby counter and we can have a conference call. Xander come over to the Lobby counter." Gunn yelled at Xander as he came back in from walking the inspectors out. He had some papers in his hand which Angel guessed was the results of the inspection.

They all stood around the counter. Angel got a stool for Cordelia which he had to lift her up to. When she wasn't pregnant she was easily able to get on the stool but now she needed help.

"Wesley, Fred, and Dr. Martin I have Angel, Cordelia, Xander and Connor is just now joining us." Gunn told the other parties on the phone.

"Wesley, Angel and I have discussed this and he wants or needs rather for you to come back to L.A.. Remember that we had talked about child proofing the hotel. Well when we got back we realized that the whole place had to be checked out for lead paint and asbestos. Also we need to higher an architect to plan the changes that we need. Which means that you and Fred need to be here to tell the architect how you want your apartment and anything else that you want. We thought that you may want a classroom of some type since you and Fred are going to be in control of the education of all of the kids. Also Angel said he has something that has to be done that he needs your help on. Fred I really do need you also. I'm starting to get tired more easily now and I need for you to take over some of the things that I have been doing. I also just need my girl friend here. Dr. Martin we need your input for how you want your little clinic here to be built. Also we need to know what we can do with the medical equipment we have here. We need to know if we can just cover them with sheets of plastic or should we remove everything. That's all I have to say and I'll turn this over to Xander who just had the inspectors here."

"Well guys the news isn't good. The place has several layers of lead paint all over the place which all has to be removed. The inspector suggested that we remove the walls to get most of the paint out. It will be easier and more cost effective to do it that way. Now for the building itself he said that he was surprised how sturdy the building is seeing as how it must have survived several dozen earthquakes since it was built. There are several heavy beams that need to be replaced because of termites. Those beams help to support the whole building so he said it would be better to put steel beams in if possible. He couldn't find any evidence of termites any place else but he said the whole place needs to be tented or how ever they do these large places. He suggested that we start our reconstruction first then he could come back and inspect the wood that has been uncovered. At that time we could then have the place fumigated."

"How long would it take to do everything so that we could move back in Xander?" Wesley asked from his side. "Well the slowest part would be the removal of the paint which is all covered by rules and regulations. If money isn't a problem and we can hire as many people as we want to do the work then I think we could have it done in 4 months. But I know you need it sooner than that so I'll do my best to get it done in 3 months. But you guys need to make your decisions as fast as possible and for the architect to give me the plans as fast as possible. So Wesley it's to your advantage to get back here ASAP. Dr. Martin you need to be here also to put in your 2 cents for the plans." Xander said. He turned the papers over to Gunn who was taking care of things while Wesley was gone.

"Okay Xander, let us know when we have to be out of the hotel. Dr. Martin can you come back to L.A. for a short time?" Wesley asked. "I'll try to be back in L.A. within 1 week Wesley. Since Angel knows the Bishop and he knows our situation I may be able to get him to rush my papers through. Then I'll be coming with two suitcases Angel and Cordelia."

"We'll be counting the days Mom." Angel looked at Cordelia. She had her head on the counter. When she looked up she grabbed a piece of paper and wrote an address down. "We're going to have to hang up now guys. I just had a vision and these guys have to go to work." Gunn hung up the phone then and took the address from Angel. Angel went to the corner of the lobby and underneath the 2nd story walkway and yelled for Buffy. He heard her coming down the hallway. "What do you want Angel?"

"Buffy I need you to stay with Cordelia please. She just had a vision and Gunn, Connor and I are going after the problem." Sure Angel. She was disappointed but she knew she probably shouldn't go anyway. Not in her condition anyway. Angel and Connor stopped at the weapons cabinet to pick up Gunn's favorite weapon and others then went running out of the door. While they waited for the men to come back Cordelia received a call from Wesley. He had told her that they would be returning in 4 days. He couldn't get a flight any earlier but they were to go ahead with the work. He gave her the Airline and flight number and time that they would be arriving.

"Thanks Wesley. Angel will owe you and Fred a couple of weeks off for a real Honeymoon."

Wesley put his voice real low and said, "Actually Cordelia you guys saved me. Believe me when I said I did my best to get an earlier flight. Bye."

Cordelia laughed then said goodbye. "Well Buffy the guys are on their way back now. I think I'll order some Chinese food. How does that sound?" "That sounds good cause I am starving." Buffy answered. Cordelia went to the drawer where they kept the menus for all of the restaurants that had take-out. Buffy and Cordelia went over the menu and wrote down what they needed. As soon as Angel told her that they were almost home she put the call into the restaurant.

"Angel said that they stopped to pick up Spike from Dr. Thompson's office and they should be here any minute." Cordelia told Buffy.

"That link you have with Angel comes in mighty handy. I wish I could do that with Spike but for some reason I can't develop it beyond sensing his well being. He thinks it might be because of my Slayer powers."

"I am going to go and lay down on the couch Buffy. If I fall asleep wake me when they come in or the food comes. Why don't you come and sit down with me your looking a little tired to."

Cordelia turned the TV on and laid down on the couch. Buffy took the other side and within five minutes they were both asleep. The men came in a few minutes later and found Buffy and Cordelia both asleep on the couch. Angel and Spike came over to the couch.

"Don't they look innocent when they're asleep." Angel said. He wanted to give Cordelia a kiss but he was all dirty from fighting the Vampires. "Yeah, and quiet." Spike said. Which he was immediately sorry for as soon as he said it when he realized that Buffys heart was beating faster. To distract her from what he had said he shook Cordelia lightly. "Cordelia wake up." She opened her eyes and saw how dirty Angel was and Spike wasn't. Then she remembered why.

"Angel go and get cleaned up. I ordered Chinese food and it should be here soon." She was still half asleep when she said that so she just closed her eyes again and laid back down.

"Cordelia wake up I have something for you that will help you to feel better." Cordelia sat up and Spike rolled up her sleeve. "Buffy don't let her go back to sleep. Hold her up while I go and get something to clean her arm with." Buffy put her arm around Cordelia to keep her from laying down again. Spike was back in a minute with a alcohol wipe which he used to clean the area of her arm that he was going to give her, her shot. He gave her a shot that had both Vitamin B12 and iron. He let her lay down again then went back to the kitchen and disposed of the needle in the Hazardous waste material container.

"Has she been like this all day Buffy?" "No she felt real tired all of a sudden after she ordered the food then said she was going to take a nap." Spike raised Cordelia's eyelid. He could see, and hear that she was in a sound sleep. The whites of her eyes where rolled back in her head. But he was happy to see that her eyes where still nice and white. Spike picked her up and took her to her room. Buffy followed him with a package that Spike had brought in with him. She got to the door first and knocked on it.

"Angel are you decent?" Buffy asked. "Yeah come in." Buffy opened the door for Spike. Spike came in and put Cordelia on her side of the bed. "What's wrong?" Angel forgot that he wasn't supposed to speak to anyone as soon as he saw Spike carrying Cordelia. "Don't get your knickers in a twist Sire. She is just asleep but I think that she will be out for the rest of the night. Her lab results came back this afternoon. She is tired all of the time now because she is anemic. When is the last time you took blood from her Angel?" Spike, Angel and Buffy had gone to the kitchen table to talk. "I think the last time I did that was before we went to Ireland or shortly after. We haven't even had sex since we were up in the barn loft." "Well don't do it anymore until after she delivers. According to Mike this happens to pregnant women sometimes. It's just that Kathleen is putting more demands on Cordelia's body. We think that she just hasn't been eating properly also so she has an appointment with a nutritionist next week Monday. Here is an appointment card. The nutritionist works with Mike so you'll come to the office. Also here is a liquid vitamin that she is to take twice a day for the next 5 days then she can cut it down to 1 time a day. I gave her a shot of B12 and iron just a minute ago to help get her started back to a more normal blood count. The B12 will help her to have more energy and the iron will build her blood up again."

"If you want Angel I'll bring your dinner up to you and something for Cordelia just incase she wakes up during the night." "Thanks Buffy I would appreciate it. I wish you could give her something for the depression she is experiencing right now." Angel said as he put his head on the table. "Why, are you feeling her depression now?" "Yeah and I feel terrible. Now I feel even worse because I just remembered that I'm not supposed to be talking to you. What do you do Buffy when you get depressed?" "I attack Spike and we have wild passionate sex. The next morning I feel fine." They all laughed at that. "Well she hasn't felt like having sex lately. We were just about to engage in some in the shower when Xander came knocking at our door this afternoon. The next time he does that I think I'll just punch his lights out." "Well like I said I'll bring you your dinner as soon as it gets here. I'll see you later Angel." Spike and Buffy got up and left then. Angel went over to Cordelia and checked on her. She was sound asleep. He took her clothes off and put a night gown on her and put her under the covers. When he bent over to give her a kiss she said "Thank you Angel, goodnight." "Good night my sweet."

Cordelia woke up at around 7 A.M. the next day. She was feeling good but was starving. She took a bath first then after drying herself off she went right to the refrigerator. "Wow, hit the jackpot." She pulled out a plate full of Chinese food that was wrapped in cellophane. She lifted the side a little then stuck it in the microwave oven. The smell of the food woke Angel up. He got out of the bed quietly and snuck up behind Cordelia who was sitting in front of the TV and eating while wearing nothing but a paper towel. Out of habit she had closed the balcony doors and closed the drapes. He went over to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of blood. He seasoned it with some chili and warmed it up in the microwave. When the bell chimed he took his glass and went to sit down with Cordelia.

"How are we feeling this morning?" Angel asked Cordelia. Angel was getting turned on just looking at her. The bigger she became the more Angels mind wandered to having sex with her. Angel put his hand on her rounded stomach. He listened to his daughters heartbeat.

"Good morning my dear. I am feeling much better. I don't remember what Spike gave me but it sure is working." She wiped her mouth and hands with the paper towel and put it on top of the coffee table. She rose up to her knees and started kissing him. All Angel could think of was 'Drought over.'

An hour later they came down stairs. Xander, Gunn, and Connor were talking with Buffy at the table. Spike had been spending every day at Dr. Thompson's office so Buffy was feeling bored. "Your looking a lot more chipper this morning Cordelia." Buffy said when she saw them coming down the stairs. "Yes, I am feeling so good that I think we can go out again and check for that mansion." Cordelia said. She went directly to the small kitchen and made another pot of coffee. She made a couple of scrambled eggs and toast for her and Angel and since he didn't get to finish his mug of blood this morning she made him some more also.

When it was all done she called Angel over to come and help her. He took the plates over to the table and Cordelia brought over the drinks. She put everything down on the table and Angel pulled her chair out for her. He went back into the kitchen then and poured Cordelia a glass of milk. He wanted to give her orange juice but she hadn't gone shopping yet after coming back from Ireland. He brought the milk back to the table and when he sat down he noticed Buffy was gone. "Where did Buffy go?" "It's Buffy and Spikes turn to have morning sickness now. She went running to the bathroom when she saw our food. The good news is that I haven't had my special tea since yesterday morning. So I hope that, that means I am finally done with it for this pregnancy."

"Call me crazy but I just had an idea when you told Buffy that you wanted to go look for a mansion to rent. Why don't you guys go to Sunnydale and stay at your mansion while I am working on this place Cordelia." "That's a good idea Xander but I think we have to pass that by Wesley. He wanted Angel to work with you." "I'll tell Wesley that he would only get in the way since we have to be working fast and I am going to have to many guys around here to have Angel around." "Well that sounds good to me. It will be a lot easier on me and the mansion has more than enough rooms to accommodate everyone. Let's call him now."

Gunn went to Wesley's office and made the call. He then transferred it over to the Lobby counter and called everyone over. "Hey Wesley. Is Fred with you?" "Yes she is right here beside me. You want to know why she is right by me?" "No but I think your going to tell me." Cordelia said. "Because it's still night time over here and you've interrupted some, shall we say personnel activities. Now what is so important that you had to call me at this time." Angel saw the look on Cordelia's face when Wesley said that. Cordelia was mad as a hornet.

"Well Mr. Price since you're the boss we wanted to ask you if it's okay for us to go to Sunnydale instead of renting a place out here that is big enough to hold all of us. Since Angel already has a mansion over there it would be kind of silly to rent a place for 3 months. And Mr. Price if you want to talk about being interrupted during a private moment I wish I had a count of how many times everyone interrupted Angel and I. It's a wonder that we were able to even conceive Mary Kathleen. The latest one was just yesterday when Xander came and knocked at our door just to tell us that the inspectors were here. I think if Angel could say anything he would of had a few choice words for Xander. Especially since I don't want to have sex very often now and he had been in dry dock for the past couple of weeks. So get used to it Mr. Price." Cordelia went back to the kitchen and started cleaning up.

"Sorry Angel." Xander said. He was embarrassed now that he knew what he had interrupted. Since he couldn't say anything Angel just nodded. "I am sorry guys. My father has my nerves on edge. My temper flares easily right now. They went into town and are spending the night at some friends. It's been our first night to be alone. If no one minds I think going to Sunnydale sounds good. I take it Cordelia is gone?" "Yes." Gunn answered. "Angel please give her my apology. I'll see you all in a couple of days." Wesley hung up.

Wesley went to check on Cordelia, but Buffy stepped in front of him and said "Let me go Angel. This is a girls thing. She'll be alright. Wesley just happened to be the unlucky one to hit the right nerve at the right time." Buffy went into the kitchen and Angel went back to the table and finished his glass of blood.

When Buffy walked in Cordelia was washing the dishes. She didn't put them in the dishwasher because she wanted to keep her hands busy. "You okay?" Buffy asked as she picked up a dish towel and started to dry the dishes. "Yeah, I'm sorry I acted like a crazy pregnant woman." "That's okay Cordy you have a good excuse. These guys don't realize what it is really like to be the leader. Some one is always calling you for something and wanting you to make a decision about something. I knew from the beginning that the penance that Dr. Martin gave Angel wasn't going to work. Except for the not talking part he must have felt good about it. No more having to make decisions, no more being at every ones beck and call, no more of having to be the leader for everyone else, and most of all no more of having to be the brave one no matter how much your heart is breaking or how sick you are. It's good that you take care of so much for Angel Cordy. Ever since Spike and I got married I feel like half of the load has been taken over by him. The burden of leadership isn't so heavy now."

Cordelia took the dishes out of the dishwasher to clean since their wasn't very much and she wanted to continue to have an excuse to talk with Buffy.

"Did you guys start work on the basement so that you could have some privacy?" Cordelia asked Buffy as they continued to wash and dry the dishes.

"Yeah that was the first command decision that Spike made. It was so nice to just stand back and let someone else make the decisions and answer all of the questions. When Dawn started to complain to me I just said that Spike was the man of the house now and I'll back him up. I told her that Spike and I had already talked about. I knew she had plans of making the basement hers but I told her that Spike needed the windowless space. When I said that she backed down. I told her that we could talk to Xander and see if he had any suggestions to give her, her own space."

"That's good. A young girl needs that space when there is no one but adults around her. I know because I was in that same position. I know that Mom will come to the same conclusion that you have. What I am afraid of Buffy is that I know that something will happen to Angel to help him to learn humility. It's just like when he was crucified. God uses bad things that happen to us to teach us a lesson." Cordelia was through cleaning the kitchen so she started to boil some water to make some tea for the both of them. Buffy finished putting the dishes away and grabbed two cups for the tea. When the tea pot started whistling she poured the hot water into the cups and put some tea into each. Both of them took their cups to the dining room table to sit down. Angel was still there.

Just as they sat down the phone rang. The answering machine picked it up but Angel could hear that it was Dr. Martin so he went running to pick up the phone.

"Mom?" "Yes Angel it's me. I wanted to give you the date and time of my flight." Angel wrote the information down as she gave him the date, time, and flight number. "That is the same flight that Wesley will be coming in on. He has to change planes in Boston so you two will be coming into L.A. on the same flight. That will make it easier. Thank the Bishop for me Mom. Tell him I owe him another one. I'll see you in a couple of days." Angel hung up the phone and went back to the dinning room table. He gave the slip of paper to Cordelia. She grabbed his hand and kissed it. She was so happy she was crying.

"Why are you crying?" Angel asked his wife. "Because Mom is coming home for good. She won't be leaving anymore. I need her now Angel. A young woman like me always needs their mother when they have their first baby." Cordelia just smiled.

Gunn came over to the table at that time. "Xander and I called an achitect that specializes in the restoration of old buildings. He'll be here on Tuesday to talk to all of us and look at the hotel."

"Gunn I think we might as well start packing things that we won't be needing in Sunnydale. Can you see about getting a large amount of large boxes and lots of small ones." Xander came over to the table also. "Xander what do you think about getting either a storage unit or rent one of those movable storage units that can be kept here on the grounds." Cordelia asked Xander.

"I think one of the 'PODS' would work just fine. When your done filling it up they'll come and take it to a storage warehouse. We can also hire people to load all of the big stuff and all of the boxes." "Terrific Xander. But I think we can at least start packing some of the stuff. Things that we don't want anyone to see. Plus it will keep us busy and out of trouble. Why don't you get as many boxes as you can carry Gunn." Cordelia finished her tea then came back out and turned to Angel and the rest. "But first Kathleen and I are going to take a nap. Come with me Angel." Angel followed her up to the bedroom.

Cordelia laid down on the bed and patted the bed beside her and invited Angel to come and lay down beside her. When he did as she requested she pulled up her blouse and pushed the top of her pants down so that her stomach was fully exposed. She took his hand then and put it on her stomach. Angel was quiet for awhile. Then he felt it. He had a big grin on his face. "I felt her kick my hand with her little feet. Now I feel something round rubbing against my hand. I couldn't feel that when we were in Dr. Thompson's office." He removed his hand and laid the side of his face on Cordelia's stomach. He continued to feel Kathleen's head rubbing against him. Then she seemed to push away from him and kicked her mother in the side by her left side."

"You little brat stop that." Cordelia told her daughter. "What does it feel like when she is moving around?" Angel asked as he raised his head. Cordelia was laughing at what she told her daughter. "It feels like gas bubbles are trapped inside of there and their moving around." Cordelia pulled the top of her pants up and pulled her blouse down. She turned on her side then. "Are you going to take a nap with your daughter and I?" She asked Angel. In answer Angel took his shoes off and pulled the quilt over both of them. He pulled her close to his chest and they both went to sleep. Angel never had a problem with going to sleep in the day time since that was his natural time to sleep.

For the next 2 days they packed and took naps. Cordelia continued to drink the tea along with Buffy and take the special vitamins that Spike had brought her. She tried to pay closer attention to her diet and what she was eating. She didn't get so tired anymore and Dr. Thompson and Spike were happy with her handling of things. Spike took another sample of her blood on Friday morning so that they could have it tested again to see how she was doing.

Before Spike left with Buffy, who was driving Angels car to take him to the office, Angel told him to take a cab home because he was going to be using his car to pick up Wesley, Fred, and Dr. Martin at the airport. "Okay Angel." Spike answered as they headed out to the car.

When they got in the car Buffy noticed that Spike wasn't very talkative this morning. "What's on your mind Spike? Your awfully quiet." Spike looked at Buffy. "I have an awful feeling that something bad is going to happen to Angel tonight on the way back from the airport." "Like what?" Buffy asked. The way Spike said that made chills go up her spine. "I don't know but I think you need to find out when their flight comes in exactly. I want you and Gunn to pick me up from the office. We'll wait for Angel to come out of the airport and follow him. Don't tell Cordelia about this okay. It won't serve any purpose for her to be upset sooner then she has to." "Okay Spike. But I think she already knows that something is going to happen." "Well at least it won't come as a surprise to her." They rode in silence the rest of the way.

Later that night at 7 o'clock Angel left for the airport. At exactly 8 o'clock their plane landed and as they came down the walk way Angel ran to Dr. Martin and picked her up and swung her around. He was so happy to see her. He kept kissing her on her cheek and hugging her. After this display went on for a few minutes he finally put her down and shook Wesley's hand and hugged Fred and gave her a kiss. He was careful though not to say anything to them. He steadfastly kept his silence. They all went to pick up their luggage at the baggage pickup area. While they were waiting for the suitcases to come down Angel went to get the car. Wesley had all of the luggage on the side and waiting for him by the time he got back. Angel jumped out of the car and opened the trunk and helped Wesley to put the suitcases in. Fred and Dr. Martin got in the back seat and Wesley sat in the front with Angel.

Without them noticing it Spike, Buffy and Gunn followed them from the Airport exit. When Buffy thought back on it later it was like watching a dream sequence and everything was moving in slow motion.

Angel pulled off of the freeway to go to the Hotel. At that time of night their were only a few cars on the road in this part of town. Gunn followed Angel at a distance but they saw everything happen. Angel moved into the right lane so that he could make a right hand turn onto the street where the Hyperion was. The light had been green when he had moved into the right turn lane to turn right. A man in a truck that was loaded down with PVC pipes went into the right turn lane also and was following close behind Angel. Instead of being able to continue with the right turn though Angel had to step on the breaks because of a teenage boy stepping out onto the crosswalk with his bike. The man in the truck had expected the car in front of him to continue and didn't expect for it to stop. At the last second he realized that the black car in front of him had stopped so he stepped on the brake hard. The sudden stoppage of the truck caused the PVC pipes to shift and come loose. One of the ½ inch pipes went flying into the back of the car. It missed Fred by mere inches and landed squarely in the back of Angels head.

The man in the truck jumped out and ran to the car. Gunn, Spike and Buffy were right behind him. When they got to the car they saw that a ½ inch pipe had come loose from the rest and was now lodged in the back of Angels head and blood was pouring out. None of the others were hurt fortunately. It took them a moment to recover from the shock of seeing him. Dr. Martin was regaining consciousness after hitting her head on the dash board. Her moans pushed them into action. Gunn went to the back of the truck and pulled out a PVC pipe cutter. Gunn told Wesley to hold the pipe close to Angels head. The blood was continuing to pour out of the wound and over Wesley's hands. Gunn started to cut the pipe. The movement of the pipe made even more blood come out of the back of Angels head. Dr. Martin reached up and tried to hold Angels head still, but his hair was slippery from the blood pouring out.

After Gunn cut the pipe the picked up Angel and put him in the back of Gunn's truck. Buffy got in the back and held onto Angels head. Gunn took off to the hotel while Wesley spoke to the truck driver and said that everything would be okay and that he wouldn't have to worry about any reprisals. Wesley jumped back into the car and Spike drove Angels car to the hotel.

The truck driver was left behind standing in the street with his mouth open and the PVC cutter in his hand. The next day when he woke up in his bed he thought about the previous night and thought to himself that he had the strangest dream.

Gunn pulled up as close as he could to the back of the hotel. Spike pulled up right behind him. Wesley and Spike jumped out and went to get Angel. Dr. Martin, more fully recovered, ran to the large kitchen and started getting ready to take care of him. Moments later Spike and Gunn brought Angel in and put him on the table. "Lay him on his stomach Gunn and lets push him up so that his head is over the edge. Wesley, he is going to need a transfusion." "How many bags should I get?" "Ten should be enough. What we don't use we can give to Dr. Thompson. Spike you and Mike are treating Cordelia for anemia aren't you?" "Yes but I took a blood sample from her today and her blood count is normal now." Spike answered her as he started to clean the blood off of Angel.

Dr. Martin grabbed a syringe and a drug that would make Cordelia sleep. She gave the syringe to Spike along with an alcohol wipe. "I want you to go and give this to Cordelia. Try not to wake her but if she does tell her it's some more B12 and iron. Tell her that her blood count still isn't back to normal." "Hey wait a minute now I thought you said that you never lie to Cordelia or Angel." "I don't and I still won't be. You will. Spike we don't want Cordelia to get to upset over this. It could cause her to go into labor." "Well I guess since you put it that way." Spike went off mumbling to himself. "Let the Vampire do it everyone expects them to lie."

Dr. Martin continued to clean up Angel and by the time she was done Spike had come back down. "Okay Spike get your gloves on we are going to take the pipe out and see what we have to deal with. Grab a towel and wrap it around the pipe to soak up the blood." Carefully Dr. Martin pulled the rest of the pipe out of Angels skull. She checked the pipe for any bone and found none. She carefully cleaned out any pieces of bone that was forced into his brain. Fortunately when she removed the pipe she found that it hadn't gone straight into his skull. It had only gone in part way so that one side of the pipe was in his skull and the other side of the circle of the pipe was still on the surface. But the part of the pipe that did go into his brain had caused enough damage by itself. Spike and Dr. Martin put special glasses on that would enable them to see the tiny pieces of bone that had become embedded in Angels brain. To do this she had to remove the small piece of bone that was hanging on. When they had done their best to remove any bone fragments she placed the fragment back in place and placed special stitches through the bones to keep them together. She was fairly certain that Angelus would make it grow back together. They bandaged his head up and then turned him over so that they could start giving him a transfusion from the bags of blood that Wesley had bought at the blood bank.

One hour later Spike called Gunn and Connor to take Angel up to bed. Dr. Martin and Spike went up with them. They removed his outer clothing and Dr. Martin went to the bathroom and wet a wash cloth. She went back to the bedroom and cleaned blood off of Angel that had run down his chest.

Wesley, Buffy, Connor, Xander and Fred came in to find out how Angel was doing.

Dr. Martin had pulled up a chair next to the bed and was sitting down and resting. "How is he doing Dr. Martin?" Wesley asked quietly.

"Dr. Summers, do you know the region of the brain where the pipe went through?" Dr. Martin asked Spike. "Yes, I believe it was the Occipital lobe of the brain. Although it might have also affected the Cerebellum." "And what does the Occipital lobe control."

"Vision."

* * *

TBC.....................

(I have spent many hours on the freeways in heavy traffic and I have also seen many trucks loaded with PVC pipes that were held on racks that were made to hold them. Unfortunately many of these truck drivers never bother to secure the pipes that they carry. The scenario that I painted for my story has often gone through my mind as one of these guys pulls in front of me. If I can I get out from behind them or in front of them. I not only worry about the pipes that haven't been secured I also think of all of the stuff that they leave laying in the back of their trucks with the tailgate down. These men cause a lot of flat tires and leave dangerous objects in the middle of the freeway. My brother was almost killed by a small section of T bar that must have fallen from the back of a truck. A van that was in front of him ran over the bar and it flipped up into the air and headed right for my brothers car. If he hadn't duct at just the right time his head would have been sitting in the back seat along with the T bar. When you think about it, who needs Vampires, demons and monsters when you have your every day thoughtless, stupid citizens on the roads that can kill you without even giving it a second thought.

As the saying goes..............their ought to be a law.)


	9. The Gift Chapter 9

The Gift

Chapter 9

Wesley, Buffy, Connor, Xander and Fred came in to find out how Angel was doing.

Dr. Martin had pulled up a chair next to the bed and was sitting down and resting. "How is he doing Dr. Martin?" Wesley asked quietly.

"Dr. Summers, do you know the region of the brain where the pipe went through?" Dr. Martin asked Spike. "Yes, I believe it was the Occipital region of the brain. Although it might have also affected the Cerebellum." "And what does the Occipital region and Cerebellum control?"

"Vision and movement."

"To answer your question Wesley, Angel could be blind for awhile. How long I don't know. I have a feeling that he will regain his sight when Cordelia goes into labor. There is also a possibility that he could have some type of motor skill impairment, such as being able to feed himself, picking up things or as bad as walking. I am not a brain surgeon so I can't say for sure what has been affected. We won't know for sure until he wakes up." Dr. Martin got up from the chair. "Spike can you watch over them tonight. Tomorrow is Saturday so I know Mike doesn't work. I am also going to ask him to come out here tomorrow. If Cordelia wakes up during the night tell her the truth about Angel. If anything happens call me."

Everyone followed Dr. Martin down to the dinning room. "Sit down everyone. I am going to make myself a sandwich, does anyone want coffee?" "I'll make it Dr. Martin." Buffy said as she got up and went into the kitchen. Ten minutes later they both came out with cups full of coffee and Dr. Martins sandwich. They gave Dr. Martin a few minutes to eat.

"What is Angels prognosis Dr. Martin?" Wesley asked.

"Wesley, I honestly don't know. Everything that I know to be true for the normal human being isn't true for Angel." Dr. Martin finished her sandwich. No one was talking.

"I want to tell you that you've all done very well in dealing with the changes that have taken place with Angel. He has had to make a lot of changes to the way that he thinks about himself. But he has one last hurtle that he seems to be having a very hard time with. Angel has a lot of pride in himself, the fact that he has made it to the rank of Master Vampire, his ability to kill efficiently and quickly, the fact that he was able to father a son, and a lot more. What it comes down to is that Angel can find pride in the simplest things. His biggest problem with this is that he thinks he can do everything himself and that his choices are the best and only way. Gunn have you noticed anything about the way Angel fights or makes decisions on how something should be handled?"

"Angel is more careful. He isn't so devil may care now. What I mean is that he doesn't charge into the middle of the gang and start slashing everything. He is more careful now. I think it's because he has something to live for now."

"Does he ask for any ones opinion as to an attack plan or how a difficult situation should be handled?" Dr. Martin asked. Her eyes were half closed but she continued to listen to everything that was said. "Angel, hell no." Gunn laughed with his answer.

Dr. Martin just smiled. "So as you can see Angel hasn't learned a thing so far. All this punishment has done for him so far is give him a vacation from the pressures of leadership."

They could all see that she was very tired. "I no longer have the inside track, so to speak, with St. Michael. I no longer have Sr. Margaret giving me instructions or information that she has been given by St. Michael. I believe though that St. Michael has taken over Angels training. What has happened has been allowed to happen for Angels education. He has been given other restrictions so to speak and the restriction of his talking only to Cordelia and myself is lifted. We all know how fast Angel heals so I am not worried as to how long he will be blind. God wouldn't take away something that he has already promised and He has promised that Angel will see his children grow up to follow in his footsteps along with Connor."

"Do you want one of us to be with him at all times?" Wesley asked. "No, let him call for help if he needs it. What I am worried about right now though is how this will all affect Cordelia. She may try to take care of Angel by herself and we can't allow that to happen. I want everything to go ahead as planned Wesley. Act as though nothing ever happened to Angel. Don't make any special changes for him. He should know this place and the mansion like the back of his hand.

I am going to call it a night Wesley. Goodnight everyone." Dr. Martin dragged herself up the stairs. Her body was still on Eastern Daylight Time and she was dead tired. Before going to bed though she wanted to check on Angel.

Dr. Martin knocked on Angels bedroom door. Spike quickly answered it and opened the door. "How are they doing Spike?" "They're sleeping peacefully. Neither Angel or Cordelia have moved." Spike answered as he backed away so that she could come in and check Angel. She walked in and pulled Angels eyelid up then checked the bandage. "Everything looks okay for now. I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight Spike. Call me as soon as one of them starts to wake up."

Dr. Martin left and then went to bed. She was so tired she didn't even bother to get undressed she just laid down with the intention of getting back up and changing for bed. She saw that someone had brought her suitcases up and she remembered closing her eyes and that was the last thing she remembered.

In the morning she heard her phone ringing and she looked at her clock. It was 9:15 A.M..

"Hello." "Dr. Martin this is Spike. Cordelia is waking up." "Thank you Spike I'll be right their." Dr. Martin went into the bathroom to relieve herself and throw some water on her face. She straightened her clothes and hair then went to Angels and Cordelia's bedroom.

She didn't bother to knock she just walked in. Cordelia was just starting to wake up. Spike could tell earlier that she was starting to wake up because of the sound of her heartbeat.

Dr. Martin went to sit on the bed next to Cordelia. She finally opened her eyes. When she saw Dr. Martin she reached up and hugged her. "It's so good to see you. I missed you Mom." Cordelia turned to look at Angel and wake him up. She saw the bandages on his head. She just stared at him. "Angel, Angel wake up baby." Cordelia put her hands on his chest and shook him, but Angel didn't wake up. He didn't even move.

"What happened to him Mom?" Spike reached for Cordelia's arm, he could hear her heart start to beat faster. "Calm down Cordelia he's alright. There was an accident last night on the way back from the airport. Yesterday I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen on the way back so Gunn, Buffy and I followed him. We waited by the exit from the airport and followed them from a distance so we saw everything that happened." Spike told her what happened and what he and Dr. Martin thought was affected by the pipe. Dr. Martin explained to Cordelia the same thing she talked to everyone else about the previous night. As Cordelia listened to her she started to regain control of herself and her heart resumed a more normal beat.

"Spike, Cordelia and I can handle things for now, why don't you go and get some sleep. Cordelia go and do whatever you have to and I'll sit here with Angel then when your done I'll go and take a shower. I'll bring some breakfast up for you and I later." Spike left and went to get some blood first. He was hungry since he hadn't eaten since the previous evening. He went down to the kitchen to warm some pigs blood up. Everyone else was downstairs.

"How is he doing Spike?" Wesley asked Spike when he saw him come down stairs.

"The same. He hasn't even moved from his original position. Cordelia is awake now and we've explained everything to her. I'm going to go to bed now and sleep all day like a good vampire." Spike took his glass of blood upstairs and found Buffy still in bed. He was glad she was still there. He was starting to like having her to hold when he went to sleep. Spike looked at her, sleeping so peacefully. Buffy started to wake up. She sensed his presence in the darkened room. Spike drank the last of his blood and then removed all of his clothes. "I am going to go and take a shower Buffy. Don't move from that spot." "Yes Sir." She answered with a smile.

When Spike came out of the bathroom he came over to the bed and got under the covers with his wife. Spike fully intended to make love to Buffy but as soon as he got into the bed and his head hit the pillow he was out like a light. The long day at the office then all night sitting up with Angel had worn him out. Buffy looked at her macho manpire and just sighed. She bent over and gave him a kiss on his forehead then got up and went to the bathroom. She quietly got dressed then and went downstairs.

Dr. Martin came down stairs after awhile. "Good morning everyone." She said to Wesley, Fred, and Buffy. Gunn and Connor where with Xander and they were all starting to pack up pictures and weapons and such that were on the walls. The architect was going to be here on Monday afternoon and they were going to hopefully be on their way to Sunnydale the next day. Hunter was going to be here this afternoon along with Mike and they were going to consult with Hunter.

"How is he doing Dr. Martin?" Buffy asked as she joined her in the kitchen to get some more coffee. "Still unconscious. The thing is since I don't have the proper equipment here it's hard to tell if he is unconscious or in a coma. We will just have to wait and see if Hunter knows anything that can bring him out of it." Dr. Martin made some breakfast for herself and Cordelia and Wesley helped her to take it upstairs. It was kind of heavy with the glass of milk and orange juice on the tray along with the other plates. Just as they started to go up the stairs Cordelia came to the top of the stairs and called for Dr. Martin.

"He's awake, he's awake." Cordelia went back into the bedroom. Dr. Martin and Wesley were right behind her. They could hear everyone else running to the bedroom also.

What they found surprised everyone. Angel was in the corner of the room. He looked more like a person that was hiding then a person that was afraid. Dr. Martin approached him. "Angel it's me Mom." He pulled away from her touch as though it was a hot piece of iron.

"Where am I? Why do you have all of the lights out? Am I in a dungeon? Why are you keeping me here instead of killing me? Answer me?" Angel reached out and grabbed Dr. Martin by the arm. "I haven't eaten a human in a long time but I am so hungry right now that I think I'll take you if you don't tell me what's going on."

Wesley and the other men went to Angel to restrain him. They each took an arm and pulled him away from Dr. Martin. Fred had gone to get Spike because the men could just barely keep Angel down. They were hampered in their efforts because of the care they were taking not to reopen the wound at the back of his head. Buffy wanted to join in but she was afraid of being hurt and she didn't want to loose her baby.

Fred came back with Spike who had just thrown on his pants. He took in the scene and jumped in to hold onto Angel. "Get something to put him to sleep Dr. Martin." She did as Spike said and was back in a few minutes. Dr. Martin gave him the shot. "Spike is that you, where did you come from? Where is Darla and Drusilla?"

"Don't worry Sire. Everything will be okay when you wake up again. I promise." "What did you do? Did you turn me in just so that Holtz would leave you and the women alone. I should have dusted you when Dru brought you home. Why is it so dark in here?" Angel was starting to relax now. He was asleep in just another minute. The men put him back on the bed again.

"We need to find a place where he can lay down but where we can chain him up also." Spike said as he checked Angels bandaged head. "We can put him downstairs in the basement. There are some heavy large pipes down there that we can chain him up to. Connor went down stairs to get the wheelchair that they kept in the large kitchen. When he returned they put Angel in it and took him down stairs. Dr. Martin told Connor to get the pad that they used on the counter in the kitchen and put it on the table they used for folding clothes and linen. Dr. Martin and Cordelia then put a quilt on top of it.

"Lets move the table over to the wall. Then Spike and Connor can put Angel on the table while Gunn and I get the chains to restrain him."

Wesley and Gunn brought a pair of thick chains over to the table. Gunn put the chains on Angels ankles then looped them under the table. The ankle and wrist chains each were made of steel but were padded so that he couldn't tear his own skin to get out of the chains.

"I think we have him as comfortable as we possibly can now. I gave him enough tranquilizer to put a gorilla to sleep for the next 4 hours at least. Lets go and get some breakfast Cordelia. I think the one Wesley and I brought up is pretty cold by now. Connor would you stay with him for awhile please. As soon as we finish breakfast we'll be back down." "Sure Grandma. I'm going to run and get something to read and I'll be right back."

Later that evening Dr. Martin was keeping an eye on Angel while Cordelia took a nap. She was folding some clothes that she had washed for Wesley and Fred. When she was done she felt some ones eyes on her. She looked at Angel. He was looking at her but yet not seeing. "Good evening Angel. Do you know who I am?" "Yes Mom I know who you are. I want to know though why it's so dark in here and why am I chained up?" "Do you remember what happened 4 hours ago when you first woke up?" "I don't remember anything since last night when we left the airport. The last thing I remember is stopping for a boy that wanted to cross the road against the light. I had to slam on my breaks and that's the last thing I remember." Angel answered. He was listening for any sounds that would tell him where he was. Then his senses picked up the smell of laundry soap.

"Why are we in the laundry room?" Angels heart was starting to beat faster. Why his heart was starting to beat faster he wasn't sure, but he was beginning to have a feeling of dread.

"Mom." "Yes Angel." "What time is it?" "It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon." Dr. Martin was trying to postpone the inevitable.

"What happened to me?" Angel was starting to feel something that he very rarely felt. Fear.

"We were in an accident last night. You were the only one hurt. A man in a truck that was carrying PVC pipes was right behind you when you stopped for the boy to cross the street. One of the pipes he was carrying came loose when he stepped on his brakes and went forward and struck you in the back of your head. It hit an area of your brain that controls your vision." Dr. Martin was shedding silent tears as she saw the tears start to run down his face.

"Your in chains down in the basement because you woke up 4 hours ago and you didn't know me or anyone else but Spike. Wesley chained you up because you became violent when you realized that you couldn't see. You started accusing Spike of selling you out to Holtz for Darla, Drusilla and for his own skin. That's when I gave you a powerful tranquilizer."

After a few minutes Angel was able to speak without his voice shaking. "Mom could you get me out of these chains. I don't think I need these anymore." Wesley had just come down stairs with Fred and Buffy and heard Dr. Martin explaining to Angel what had happened. He came over to the table and undid the straps holding Angels legs and arms. "Wesley?" "Yes Angel, I'm here." "Would you send the girls away please?" Angel didn't want Buffy and Fred to see him so vulnerable.

Wesley asked Buffy and Fred to go upstairs and to their bedrooms. "You know that he will know if you are in the room so I think it would be best for now if you were to leave the room completely." The women left the basement and went into Fred's bedroom.

Wesley went back to Angel. "They're gone Angel." "Would you take me to my room please?"

"Yes Angel." Wesley went over to the side of the table and helped him down. Dr. Martin watched Angel walking over to the stairs and then up them. He didn't seem to be able to make his legs move smoothly and correctly. Angel usually took long strides so that it was difficult for Dr. Martin to keep up if he started to walk faster. Now though since he couldn't see, his steps were shorter and almost a shuffle as he put each foot forward.

Wesley kept his pace slow so that Angel could keep up with him. He stopped when they reached the stairs. "We're at the stairs now Angel, put your left hand out for the hand rail." Angel did as Wesley said. He carefully put his hand out in front of him then to the side until he found the rail. "Are you ready now?" Wesley asked Angel. "Yes." Angel replied. Wesley noticed how he gripped the rail tighter. Wesley started up the stairs. At the 4th step Angel fell forward as his foot caught on the next step. Wesley waited patiently as Angel regained his footing. He made it all of the way to the top with out falling again.

Gunn and Connor were downstairs with Xander and packing everything in the office. They came out though when they saw and heard Wesley coming through the lobby with Angel.

"Okay Angel we are at the stairs leading up to the second floor. I'm going to change to your other side so that you can hold onto the hand rail." Wesley took Angels hand off of his arm and got on his other side. Then gave him his right arm to hold onto. "You've been up and down these stairs many times Angel and you know how it curves. Keep in your minds eye what it looks like. Here we go now." Wesley started up the stairs. Angel made the first few steps okay as Wesley made it to the top then started to make the turn. Even though Wesley stopped then started for the first step Angels foot caught on the lip of the first step and he went down again. Once again he raised himself up and proceeded again. As he almost made it to the top he once again fell. This time he didn't get up. Dr. Martin went to his side.

"Are you okay Angel?" "Yes I'm okay. Mom?" "Yes Angel I'm right here." Angel was resting his head on the steps. Dr. Martin got down so that she could hear him. He apparently didn't want anyone else to hear him. "Mom, if this doesn't teach me humility then I'll never learn and you might as well give up because I'm just a lost cause. This is the most humiliating thing that I have ever had to go through." "What do you think this little episode has taught you Angel?" "To trust in others completely. Each time I've fallen it's been because I started to think that I could do it myself." "Very good. Lets get up now and remember to trust completely in Wesley."

Angel stood up and Wesley came and gave him his arm again. "Are we ready to try again?" "Yes, I've been properly chastised and I'm ready to go now." Once again Wesley told him to grab onto the handrail and they made their way up the stairs again. "Okay Angel we are at the top and we are going to be heading for your room." Wesley started again by making a slow left turn to Angels bedroom. When they reached the bedroom Wesley knocked on the door. He knew that Cordelia was inside and taking a nap. "Come in." Cordelia answered. Wesley opened the door and lead Angel in. Wesley saw the look of concern on Cordelia's face. "He's himself again Cordelia."

"Angel come over to the bed. You should know exactly where it is." Angel let go of Wesley's arm and made his way over to his side of the bed. He sat down with a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you Wesley." "Your welcome Angel. Call me if you need me again." Dr. Martin came in and sat on the bed next to Angel. "Wait a minute Wesley and I'll go down with you. Angel, Dr. Thompson and Hunter will be here in another hour or two. We are going to come up here and do a few tests so that we can see how bad the injury affected your brain. From what Dr. Thompson has told me Hunter has more experience in these things. Why don't you get some rest now. Give him some blood to drink Cordelia." Dr. Martin and Wesley left then. They could hear Cordelia go over to Angel when he started to cry.

Two hours later Angel woke up. He could sense that their was someone else in the hotel. He got up from the bed and made his way over to the bathroom. He took his clothes off and got into the shower. He just stood there for awhile and let the water run over his chest. He had taken the bandages off so he carefully washed his hair. He felt the back of his head carefully. He could feel the bone give way a little. It didn't hurt though and he was surprised at that. While he was examining the back of his head Cordelia joined him in the shower. "Leave that alone or Mom is going to get mad. Here is the shampoo, wash your hair carefully and I'll take care of the rest." Cordelia bathed Angel then she took care of herself. When they were done she took his hand. "Be careful of the step now." Angel put his toe forward a little until he found the edge of the shower then stepped out. Cordelia dried him off and shaved him with his electric shaver she had bought him last Christmas.

"Hurry Cordy, I can hear them coming up stairs." Cordelia took him to the bed where he sat down and waited for her to give him his clothes. She quickly grabbed some underwear for herself and Angel. Angel dressed himself then ran his hands through his hair. Cordelia pulled Angel back into the bathroom and gave him his tooth brush with toothpaste on it. "Here you go Angel, brush your teeth. I don't think Dr. Thompson and Mom would appreciate the smell of blood on your breath." When he was done she took his hand again and took him to the closet. She chose the usual black pants and black shirt. Just as she finished putting her clothes on they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Angel said as Cordelia sat him at the kitchen table. Dr. Martin opened the door and was followed by Hunter then Dr. Thompson.

"Angel Dr. Thompson and Hunter are here. Hunter is going to check you for the extent of your injury. Angel reached out to shake Dr. Thompson's hand which he took from Angels right side. After he greeted Dr. Thompson he turned to Hunter who he sensed was right beside Dr. Thompson. "Hunter, I want to thank you for coming but most of all I want to thank you for letting me use your ring. Would you believe that I actually tried to get a tan but Angelus wouldn't have it. Five minutes after coming in it was gone." Angel took the ring off of his finger and reached out for her to take it from him. He felt her small hand touch his and she took the ring.

"Are you going to miss being able to go out into the sunlight?" Dr. Thompson asked. "No, from day one I felt uneasy being in the sunlight. The dark of night is my natural element now."

"Cordelia would you make some coffee for all of us? Sit down Angel so I can check you."

Hunter pulled out a penlight and approached Angel. "Angel I want you to look straight ahead. Don't move your eyes at all." Angel did as she told him and Hunter aimed the penlight into each eye and removing it to see if his eyes would react to the light. Their was no reaction. "Angel continue to look straight ahead. I am going to shine the light in you eyes. Tell me if you see anything." Hunter shined the light directly into Angels eyes. "Do you see anything at all." "No." Angel answered. She stood up then and reached in the back of his head and felt the wound.

"Lets sit down now everyone. Cordelia brought cups and spoons over along with cream and sugar containers. She poured everyone some coffee including Angel. Cordelia sat next to Angel and started to add sugar to it. "No Cordelia. Let Angel do it." Hunter said. Cordelia started to protest but then she saw Dr. Martin shaking her head. Hunter was sitting right in front of Angel.

"Go ahead Angel you can do it. The sugar is at 2 o'clock and the cream at 1 o'clock and they are right next to your cup. Move your hand to your cup and put your hand around it. You should be able to feel the cream and sugar." Hunter said without any inflection in her voice. She said it as though instructing a child.

Angel did as she said. He put his left hand on the cup and picked up the spoon that was next to it. He carefully put his hand forward to the 1 o'clock position where he was told that the cream was. Instead of picking up the creamer he used his spoon to dip into the milk several times. Cordelia started to correct him but once again Dr. Martin shook her head. Angel didn't seem to think anything was wrong with him using his spoon to put cream into his cup. He then picked up the sugar container and poured it into his coffee. He then correctly put the spoon into the cup and stirred it. He tried the coffee. "Wow is that sweet."

"Okay Angel lets go down stairs." Hunter instructed him.

"I need Dr. Thompson or Wesley to help me." Angel said as he got up. "Why? Haven't all of you lived here for almost 5 years? You should know this place like the back of your hand Angel. I want you to walk out of your door and then over to the steps and start walking down the steps. Mike will be next to you within arms reach at all times." Hunter told Angel with a more firm voice. "Mom I can't do it." Angel had the sound of rising panic in his voice. "Angel trust Mike to catch you. Trust him Angel." Dr. Martin said as she reached out and touched his hand.

Angel took a deep breath and started for the door. Hunter, Dr. Martin and Dr. Thompson all saw how he moved with an awkward step. But Angel didn't seem to notice it himself. He made it to the door though and to the stairs by touching the walls. When he reached the stairs it took him a minute to gather up his courage to take the first step down. He held onto the hand rail tightly. Three times he fell and prevented himself from falling all of the way by holding onto the handrail. Each time he fell Mike was there to help him also. Wesley and Gunn had also positioned themselves at the bottom of the stairs.

As he finally made it to the bottom of the stairs he sat down on the second to the last step out of shear exhaustion. Dr. Martin looked at Hunter. "Have you seen all that you need to?" "Yes. He's yours now, we can talk as soon as your done." Dr. Martin went to the bottom of the stairs and sat on the step next to Angel. Everyone else came and stood around Angel and Dr. Martin also.

"Angel how did you feel as you came down the stairs by yourself and without being able to hold onto anyone?" Dr. Martin asked as she put her hand on his.

Angel was still holding onto the post between the hand rail and the step. He was still holding on so tight that you could hear the wood slowly being crushed under the shear pressure of his hand. "I was afraid." "Why were you afraid?" "I was afraid I would fall." "Why, you've fallen many times before. Why would this scare you more than at any other time." "Because I couldn't see where I was falling." "You were told that Dr. Thompson would be right by you to catch you if you fell so why didn't you reach out for him to support you?" "I don't know. I think it might be because I don't know him very well and I don't trust him 100. I trust him to take care of Cordy and Kathleen but I don't trust him enough to cover my back. Not like I would Wesley or Gunn."

"If that is true Angel why don't you consult Wesley when ever you have to do something big like planning an attack? Why didn't you ask me to help you when you wanted to find out why you couldn't let go of the guilt you felt over Angelus killing your sister?" Dr. Martins voice started to rise. She was feeling frustrated at her inability to solve this problem with Angel.

"I don't know why. I trust you and Cordy with my life but I can't say why I didn't turn to you when I wanted to take my trip through my past. I have had to trust in myself for so long that I have to tell myself to trust others." Angel finally let go of the rail and turned to Dr. Martin.

"Even though the mark of your ring is in my hand Cordy still has to remind me of what it's for and to remember that St. Michael is with me. Humans have failed me many times in the past. I can only guess that, that is why I can't bring myself to trust anyone for things when my very existence depends on it." Angel was exhausted. His head hung down low between his shoulders.

"I think maybe this accident came at a good time Mom. I think that St. Michael is controlling this blindness. Mom I love to read so much that if something is in front of me I feel a compulsion to read it. One night Spike had left one of his medical books open to a section that had information on the brain and how different parts of the brain control different things. It just so happens that it was open to the part on the occipital lobe and the cerebellum. I know that from reading that, that I shouldn't be blind. I should still be able to see at least light. I think that my Guardian Angel has taken over the task of teaching me humility and how to put my trust in others. He will make me understand, one way or another, that I am no longer an island unto myself any longer. I understand the words and what they mean but I am unable to put it into practice. So he is going to teach me."

Angel stood up then and straightened his clothes. He could sense that everyone was nearby.

"I am sorry to say you and everyone else will just have to be patient with me. I am a very stubborn man, as you all know." Angel reached out for Dr. Martin. She reached for his hand and put it on her shoulder. "Okay Angel we will work with what we have for now. I am too short for you to comfortably hold onto my arm so that is why I put your hand on my shoulder. Would you like to go to the dining room or the lobby?" "Lets go to the dining room. I am hungry for some of Cordelia's famous Cheeseburgers and Buffy's french fries along with a side of blood."

Dr. Martin started to walk forward. As they started to walk by the Lobby counter Angel stopped. "I almost forgot something Dr. Martin." Angel let go of her shoulder and turned around to everyone. "Mikaleb would you come and stand at least 3 feet behind me. Connor come and stand on her right and slightly in front of her. Cordy come and stand on her left and hold her hand or put your arm around her." When he heard them moving around to position themselves he began again.

"Spike since you work with Mike so much why don't you stand at his right. Mike I believe you have something that you wanted to ask me." Dr. Thompson turned bright red. Spike came over to stand at Mikes right side. When he didn't move Spike elbowed him in the side. "Stand in front of Angel Mike." Dr. Thompson did as Spike said. His brain functions where starting to slow down. He had been practicing what he was going to say to Angel over and over again in front of the mirror at home and in the office when he was alone. He walked over and stood in front of Angel, after that he couldn't think. His mind just went blank.

Once again Spike elbowed him. "Uh Angel, I uh." He couldn't think beyond those words. Spike whispered in his ear. "You want to court Mikaleb." "Oh right. Uh Angel, since you are the only Master Vampire here in America, uh, I have been told that I should ask your permission." Once again Mikes mind went blank and he just stood there staring at Hunter. She was such a magical woman to him. When he looked at her sometimes he could swear that the very air around her shined as though the sun was behind her. She was only 5'2" or 5'3". She had a small frame and she kept her hair long like Mary Martin did. Her skin was a soft warm light brown. It wasn't as dark as your normal Indian would be. Since she was a vampire her skin was several shades lighter. Spike elbowed him again.

Since Mike wasn't saying anything Angel spoke up. "What is it that you wanted to ask me as head of this family?" "I wanted to ask your permission to court Mikaleb." Mike let out a loud breath that everyone could hear.

Angel didn't want to let this one go without a little fun. "May I ask Mr. Thompson what your intentions are towards Mikaleb?" "My intentions?" "Yes Mr. Thompson what are your intentions? Is this just to see what it is like to be in our family? Do you want to just see what it is like to be with a vampire, or do you just want to have someone to be waiting for you when you come home after a long day at the office? Because I can tell you right now that you won't find that in Hunter. She'll walk beside you but not behind you. She will be the one to protect you instead of the other way around. Can your pride as a man take that humiliation? You will always know that Mikaleb is stronger, faster and can outreach you in anything that a man uses to protect his home and family. Her skin will never be warm to your touch Mike and if you think that I am stubborn wait until the bloom of your new love starts to fade. You might as well try to make the sun go down at high noon, you'll have more success. Will it bother you later on when you want to have children, that Mikaleb most likely can't have any? Will you ever stop to think of all the other men she has been with in the past 4,000 years? Have you ever seen her vampire face? Have you ever had to deal with her demon? You know they are a lot more hideous then what we let others see. I am asking you again Mike, what are your intentions?" Angel could sense Hunter's sadness as he pointed all of these things out to Mike.

After a long moment Mike stood straight and looked at Angel. "My intentions towards Mikaleb is marriage sir, that is after the proper length of time for a courtship. I love Mikaleb Angel. I knew she was my soul mate when I first laid eyes on her and I think she feels the same."

Angel turned towards Hunter and reached out his hand to her. "Come here Mikaleb and give me your hand." Hunter walked over to Angel and gave him her right hand.

"Give me your left hand Mike." Mike put his hand in Angels stretched out hand. Angel put Hunters hand in Mikes. "I give you my permission to court my daughter under one rule that I am asking you to respect. I want you to be with her as much as possible. I want Hunter to come and stay with us for at least 6 months. After that if you want her to live with you that is okay. If you still love each other and understand each other after one year then I will give your union my blessing. Cordy and I have known each other for 7 years. She has seen me at my worst and my best. She has even seen Angelus as he actually looks and acts. That is why I am asking you to wait at least one year. Get to know each other better, give yourselves the chance to see each other as you really are, and if after one year you still want to be with each other then we will have the wedding here." Angel took Hunter by the shoulders and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

Cordelia came to Angels side then and guided him to his old chair but when he realized where she had taken him he hesitated to sit down.

"Wesley?" "Yes Angel, I'm right here at the other end of the table. I am directly across from you." "Wesley would you come over here please." Wesley walked over to Angels end of the table and stood to his right.

"Wesley you are going to be the one that heads this family for the next 3 or 4 months. I am entrusting you with my life, and Cordelia and Kathleen's life." Angel turned to where he believed everyone else was standing. "Does everyone agree with me that Wesley should have this seat. Or does someone have different thoughts on it?" Wesley and Dr. Martin looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They both mouthed the words "Wow!"

No one said anything. Wesley cleared his throat. "Uh Angel, I think that we should look at this from a logistics point of view. Let me ask you why did you choose to sit here in the first place. What I mean is you could have just as well chosen to claim the other end of the table as your chair." Angel thought about it for a second.

"I chose it because their was no doors or windows behind me where anyone could come at me from behind. My main fighters are at the other end where they are my first line of defense. Anyone that they can't handle can be funneled down to me. While the fighters are taking on the first onslaught those that have to be protected can get away."

"I know that you are having physical problems right now but you are still the strongest with the most experience in fighting. You are our last line of defense. We know from experience that no one gets beyond you. I say that you should still stay here. It's just that for now you are what we will be protecting. Now do we have any other thoughts on this?" Wesley looked around the dinning room when he asked this question. Gunn stepped forward. "I agree with Wesley Angel. This should remain your chair. I want to make it clear to you though that you can't give up this chair until you give it up to Connor." No one else stepped forth.

"I guess that's unanimous then Angel. Sit down." Wesley said as he went to stand behind the main chair and hold it out for Angel. Angel excepted their decision by reaching for the chair then sitting down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Cordelia stepped forward and said "Wait a minute guys. Everyone stay right here for a second." She went into the kitchen and then to her desk then returned to the table. Cordelia called Fred to stand in front of her.

"Mrs. Wesley Wyndom Price, Fred, my girl friend and fellow slave to all of our men. Remember when I called you to come home because I needed you and for you to take over the care of our home because it was starting to become to hard on me to take care of things." Cordelia held out something in her hands that was covered with a towel. She put the object on the table and lifted the towel.

"Fred I give you the objects that give you the power of your new office. Here is your spatula that gives you dominion over the kitchen. I give you the dust cloth that gives you the power to tell our men when they have to help clean. Most of all now though I give you your most precious item. An Angel Investigations credit card that has your name on it. With this card you will make all purchases that are needed to supply this home of ours with all of it's food, cleanser, and furniture polish. You already take care of the books so you know what you can spend. If your short one month and you need more then go to your husband. And if he doesn't want to give you more then I expect to see him sleeping on the proverbial couch. Believe me two nights in dry dock and they'll give you what ever you want." Cordelia turned and looked at Hunter. "Listen carefully Hunter, you will need this information. Because if you can do to Dr. Thompson what Angel and Spike can do to Buffy and I then you have it made girl." Everyone laughed. Especially Angel and Spike.

"What is that Cordelia?" Hunter asked Cordelia. By the look on Hunters face Cordelia could tell that she really didn't know what she was talking about. So she looked at Angel.

"When was the last time you were with Hunter Angel? Before or After?" "I think it was before. It must have been before if she doesn't know what your talking about." "I think I'll talk to Marissa tomorrow. There is another Vampire with a soul that we recently became acquainted with. He has a tape that will show you what I am talking about." Cordelia told Hunter. She turned back to Fred then.

"So now Fred that I have given you the crown what are you fixing us for dinner. You choose and the rest of us will help you." Cordelia said.

"Well I think what Angel requested sounds good. So it's cheeseburgers and french fries for everyone. Uh, do we have ground meat and french fries?" Fred asked Cordelia since she hadn't had time to check the grocery situation yet.

"Yes, Gunn went out for me today and bought a small amount of food. Small that is in comparison to what I usually buy." "Good then lets get busy. Cordelia you can cut up the potatoes. That way you can sit down while you are doing it." "Fred I think we had better use the frozen kind for now. I told Gunn to empty the oil out of the deep fryer. It was kind of thick." "Okay then lets get the oven heated up and I'll start the hamburger patties. Why don't you start cutting up the onions and tomatoes Cordelia." By working together the women soon had the dinner ready for everyone. Cordelia went over to Hunter and asked her to come into the kitchen for a minute.

"Hunter I need to ask you do you eat solid food?" "Yes." "Do you add anything to your blood when you warm it up?" "No." "Would you like to try your blood the way we fix it for Spike and Angel?" "What do you normally put in it?" "I add cinnamon in his morning drink and red chili powder and steak sauce in his evening. Would you like to try just a sip of Angels?" "Yes, let me try just a tiny bit."

Cordelia warmed up a large mug for Angel and added the chili powder and steak sauce. Then she gave Hunter a spoon so she could try it. Hunter carefully tasted the spoonful of blood. When her eyebrows went up and a smile grew on her face she knew she had her hooked.

"That is good. Yes I would like to have some of this to go with my cheeseburger and fries please." "Okay one more question now. Do you drink blood in front of Dr. Thompson?" "Yes I made that clear to him right away that although I could consume regular food I needed blood to survive." "Very good then you can go sit down and we will be bringing in everything in a few minutes or would you like to help us?" "I can help. What would you like me to do?" Cordelia was surprised by her response. The last time she had to deal with Hunter she was a Vampire that choose not to talk to humans. She communicated as little as possible. Communication was kept to one syllable responses or instructions.

"Here, why don't you take in the onion, tomato, and cheese platters. One goes by each end and one in the middle of the table. Then you can come back and get the blood drinks for Spike, Angel and yourself." Cordelia handed the platters to Hunter. She took them without saying a word.

The ladies brought everything in and when they sat down everyone dug in. Cordelia asked Angel if he wanted a hamburger. "Just the meat please." Cordelia served him the hamburger and put a slice of cheese on it. Hunter was sitting on Angels left along with Dr. Thompson. Spike and Buffy where next to them. Dr. Martin had her usual seat at the other end of the table. Wesley as usual was on Dr. Martins left and Connor was on her right. All of the Doctors had their eyes on Angel to see how he would do when it came to eating. As Cordelia gave Angel his hamburger meat Dr. Martin put her hand on Wesley's hand to get his attention and then pointed to Angel when she got his attention.

Angel reached up to take his mug of blood. They all saw his hand trembling a little but by reaching for it with his other hand as well he was able to grab the mug and drink some blood. Since he couldn't see the mug though he held the mug up to much and it fell out of the corner of his mouth. Cordelia quickly cleaned him up. When he tried to pick up the fork to eat his meat he had a hard time grasping it. He didn't understand why he was having a problem with this when he was able to handle a spoon when he was upstairs. Angel finally gave up and picked up the hamburger with his hands. When he did that everyone went back to eating their own hamburgers.

When they were all done. Wesley thanked the ladies for a perfect meal. Hunter spoke up then. "How are you feeling now Angel?" "A lot better. I was feeling pretty tired there for awhile."

"I noticed how you were having difficulty handling the fork. Would you try it again please?" Hunter asked. She stuck her own fork into another hamburger and put it on his plate. Without any problem Angel picked up his fork and proceeded to cut up the hamburger with just his fork but was having difficulties. "Why don't you use your other hand to cut up the meat with your knife?" Hunter asked. Angel put the fork down and picked up the hamburger patty with his hand.

"Angel, pick up the knife with your left hand and cut it while holding it down with your fork." Dr. Martin said. She kept her voice low. She didn't want to sound as though she was demanding that he do it. Angel put the hamburger patty down and raised his left hand to the table. It was shaking more then it was before. "This is why I can't use the knife." Angel shouted as he slammed his hand down on the table. Dr. Martin didn't say anything. She was going to let Hunter handle this.

"Angel you are having these problems because of the injury to your Cerebellum. Your not having to hard of a time. It could be much worse so you really have no right to throw a temper tantrum. I've seen much worse. All of the problems you are experiencing right now should slowly clear up within the next couple of weeks. I want you to start exercising every day. You don't have to do anything specific just do your regular routine. They will help to get your muscles moving correctly again. Most of all you are to get a lot of rest. Every day I want you to rest in the afternoon for at least 2 hours. Your hand is shaking a lot right now because your tired. For the next 2 weeks I also want you to take the elevator. At the end of 2 weeks get one of the men to walk with you up and down the stairs while someone is watching you. You need to be very careful Angel not to hit the back of your head again until that injury heals or your going to be in the same shape or worse for a lot longer. Since I will be around you more I will be able to see your progress."

Dr. Thompson felt his pager vibrating and he pulled it off of his belt to check it. "Okay Spike your going to see your first delivery tonight. Mrs. McGregor went into labor 6 hours ago, her contractions are 10 minutes apart and she is almost fully dilated. I don't expect any complications with her. She is an old pro at this. This is her 4th baby." Dr. Thompson got up and gave Hunter a kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." Spike gave Buffy a kiss then left with Dr. Thompson.

When they left the women, except for Dr. Martin got up and cleared the table. When they were done cleaning up Cordelia brought back some of her special tea for herself and Buffy.

"Mom, when do Cordelia and I get to start going through Lamaze classes? I'm going to need it almost as much as she will." Angel asked.

"Why will you need it as much as she does?" Hunter asked Angel.

"I initiated a link with Cordelia when we got married. It's a lot like the one that I share with Spike. Usually it's only your sire that you share the link with but when Angelus took over Spikes education he established the link with him. Because of that link I am experiencing everything that Cordelia feels. If it wasn't for that special herbal tea she drinks I would be getting morning sickness right along with her." "You mean to tell me that you are going to feel the pain of her contractions and the pain of delivery?" "Yes, that's what I'm saying." What happened next almost made Angel fall off of his chair. Hunter was actually laughing her head off.

"What's so funny?" Angel asked. "This is to good to be true. It's what women, for centuries, wished could happen." Everyone was laughing but Angel. "It's not funny Hunter. I got a taste of what it's going to be like when we were in Ireland. Cordelia went into labor after we went horseback riding. I was in so much pain I even thought of breaking the link with her. Fortunately they were able to stop her contractions."

Cordelia hit Angels arm with her fist. "Ow, what did you do that for?" Angel rubbed his arm where Cordelia had hit him. "I hit you because you reminded me of how you didn't say anything when Dr. Thompson scolded me for going horseback riding and jumping the fences. You could of at least stood up and told him that it was partly your fault because you're the one that was leading the way over all of those fences. You just stood there and acted like you didn't know what he was talking about." Cordelia hit him again.

"Ow! Mom tell her to stop hitting me. I'm a sick man. Besides I can't see her starting to hit me so I can duck and that isn't fair." Angel continued to rub his arm.

"Talk about fair. Mom every time he wakes up in the morning and wants me to wake up to I can't pretend to still be asleep. 'Open your eyes Cordy I know your awake because I can hear your heart beating faster.'" Angel was laughing along with everyone else now. "Well you're my wife. Your supposed to wake up when I do." "Who made up that rule?" Cordelia asked.

"I did, I saw a blank space in the marriage manual so I filled it in with that rule. As soon as I can see again I'll find that rule in my manual and show you." Cordelia tried to reach for him but her stomach got caught under the table. Kathleen kicked her in the side for that mistake.

"Ow! I'm sorry baby." Cordelia rubbed her stomach as though she was rubbing Kathleen's back. "What's the matter did she kick you because you were hitting her Daddy?" Angel asked.

"No when I tried to get up to strangle you I hit my stomach against the underside of the table so she kicked me."

Angel reached over until his hand found Cordelia. He reached for her stomach then and rested his hand on the top of her quickly enlarging stomach. Angel lowered his head and tried to communicate with his daughter. Cordelia put her hand on his and she closed her eyes and lowered her head as well. "Mommas sorry Kathleen, but your daddy is being bad." The others could see Angels hand moving up and down as Kathleen rubbed her head against his hand. Everyone looked at each other. They each had their mouths open in astonishment.

Angel raised his head and took his hand away from Cordelia's stomach.

"Dad were you able to do that with me when my mother was still pregnant?" Connor asked his father.

"I never got the chance to be with your mother before you were born Connor. She came here just one day before you were born. Besides I didn't even know I could do it until Monday when Cordelia went to Dr. Thompson and they were doing a sonnagram. Spike took my hand and put it on her stomach while we could see Kathleen on the monitor. Spike didn't know if it would work but he suggested that I try talking to her. I did then like I just did and tried to talk to her. We saw her move so that her head was under my hand and she started to rub my hand. Cordelia put her hand on top of mine and through me we were both able to send our love to Kathleen."

"Can I try it?" Connor asked Cordelia and Angel. Cordelia looked at Angel then she said "Sure Connor. You don't know until you try." Connor came down to their end of the table and pulled a chair over so that he could sit down by Cordelia. "What do I do?"

Cordelia pulled her blouse up and her pants down a little. "Give me your hand Connor." Connor gave her his left hand and Cordelia put it in the same spot that Angel had put his.

"Concentrate Connor. Let only love for your sister go through your hand and to her. Talk to her, tell her you're her brother." Connor closed his eyes and lowered his head like he saw Angel do. Cordelia felt Kathleen move away from his touch so she put her hand on his. Kathleen felt her mothers consciousness and she slowly moved over to put her head under Connors hand. Connor sent his love for her. He told her how he could hardly wait for her to come out and join him. After awhile Kathleen started to rub her head against his hand. This went on for another minute then Kathleen pulled away and rested against her mothers other side. Her behind slowly went down to rest on her mothers bladder.

Cordelia pulled Connors hand away then and straightened her clothes. I'll be right back, she's sitting on my bladder now. Cordelia got up then and went to the bathroom that was behind the stairs. Connor looked at Angel. He actually had tears in his eyes. "I could actually feel her mind Dad. She couldn't put anything into words but I could feel her contentment. That was simply amazing." He reached for Angel and hugged him. "We really are a family now. I finally have what I've always wanted." Angel hugged him back. He had wanted this for a long time also. When they heard Cordelia coming back to the table Connor finally let go. As she approached them Connor reached for her and gave her a hug. "Thank you Cordelia, thank you." "For what?" "For loving Angel and giving us Kathleen." "Well your Dad did have something to do with it."

"I know but you're the one that is giving her a place to grow. His part only took a few minutes or less." Connor laughed.

Angel was feeling very tired now. His hand started to shake again. Dr. Martin saw this. "Angel you had better go and rest now. Your first day up should be short. You don't want to push it too much." "Okay, I am tired. Would you take me up Connor?" "Sure Dad, let's go." Angel took Connors offered arm and followed him to the elevator. Cordelia went along with him to the elevator. She put her hand to her back as she walked beside Angel. Her back was starting to hurt her a little.

Connor took Angel to his bedroom then left. Xander had told everyone to start working on a design for their personnel quarters. He gave everyone large lined sheets of paper, rulers, pencils, and the dimensions of their own current rooms, and the other rooms in the hotel. Everyone had agreed that everyone but Angel and Cordelia would increase the size of their rooms by taking the room next to theirs also.

Dr. Martin had to do the design of her small clinic also so she took her papers upstairs to work on her designs. As she passed Angel and Cordelia's room she heard a lot of activity going on. She thought to herself 'I guess they weren't too tired. We have to talk to that architect about soundproofing these walls and doors.' Dr. Martin continued onto her own room, smiling and laughing to herself.

When Angel and Cordelia returned to their bedroom Angel went to the bed, kicked his shoes off and laid down. Cordelia had other ideas though. She laid down beside him then turning on her side she reached over and slipped her hand under his shirt.

Angel reached up and put his hand on hers. "I don't have the strength to have fun with you right now Cordy. I think Angelus is demanding human blood again. Can you see if there is any in Moms refrigerator. If their isn't then page Spike and ask him to bring some back." Cordelia gave him a kiss then went to check on the blood. She decided to check with Dr. Martin first.

Cordelia knocked on Dr. Martins door. "Come in." Cordelia opened the door when Dr. Martin gave her permission to enter. "Cordelia, is their something wrong?" "Yes, Mom Angel is feeling real weak and has asked me if I could get him some human blood. He said Angelus won't help him heal until he gets what he wants. Do you think it's okay?" "Yes Cordelia that will be okay. There are several bags left in the refrigerator in the big kitchen." "Uh, one more thing, uh, is it okay for us to have sex?" "Sure Cordelia just make sure that he doesn't hit his head in anyway. Which means no Spike/Buffy type sex." Dr. Martin gave her a big smile. "Thanks Mom." Cordelia closed the door and went down stairs to the big kitchen to see if their was any human blood in the refrigerator. She found 3 bags left so she grabbed one and took it upstairs.

"Your in luck Angel I found 3 bags." Cordelia came in without even looking at Angel. But when he didn't say anything she looked at him. He was sound asleep. She went ahead and warmed the blood up while it was still in the bag. When it was done she cut it open and poured it into a glass mug.

"Angel wake up. I have your human blood. It's warmed up to 98 degrees just like you like it." Angel opened his eyes slowly. He seemed to be very weak. Cordelia pulled his upper body up as high as she could and held the glass for him while he drank. As soon as the blood touched his lips Angel grabbed the glass with his own hands and drank it greedily. When he was done Cordelia wiped his mouth and chin. Some of it had spilled onto his shirt also. "I think I'll let that go for now and let you sleep." She gave him a kiss on his forehead and made him comfortable. Before laying down herself she cleaned the glass and threw away the empty bag that used to contain the human blood. For the next 3 hours they slept.

When Angel woke up he reached for Cordelia. He found that her back was to him. He reached around and rubbed her stomach then her back. He could hear her purring. He had noticed that her back was starting to hurt her more frequently now because his was hurting, but as he rubbed her back he started feeling better. Angel started to take her clothes off. One by one they came off. She had taken her pants and blouse off before laying down for a nap so he didn't have too much to take off. He started with her bra and unhooked the straps in the back with practiced efficiency. He quickly flung it to the side then put his hands on her breasts and massaged them. He noticed how they were starting to swell in preparation for them to be actually used for what they were meant for. As Angel put his hands on them Cordelia gave a slight gasp as he touched her nipples.

"Do they hurt when I touch them?" "Yes, but if you do it more gently and massage them lightly it will feel better." Angel did as she instructed and his reward was a purring sound coming from her.

Angel reached up to touch her lips then he reached up with his lips and found hers. He trailed his kisses down to her neck and shoulders then finally down to her breasts. He licked each of them and massaged the nipples with his tongue. He left his saliva all over them and gently massaged it into her breasts. His hands slowly trailed around her stomach then down between her legs. Cordelia gave a loud gasp. All he had to do was touch her and she felt his electricity travel through her center and up to her brain as she arched her back. Cordelia reached down and felt Angel to see if he was ready to give her what she wanted. She found him ready and willing. She turned over and started to take his clothes off.

They continued to make love all afternoon. When Cordelia finally called an end to their love making she laid beside her husband and the father of her child. Angel put his arms around her and pulled her tightly to his chest. They then went to sleep again and didn't wake up until 8 o'clock that night. Angel could hear Spike back in the hotel. "Lets get up now Cordy, Spike is back and talking."

Angel and Cordelia took a shower and then dressed. Cordelia called downstairs and asked one of the men to come and help Angel downstairs.

Cordelia left the door open and Connor walked right in. Cordelia came over to Angel and Connor. "He says I'm to short to comfortably guide him." "It's not so much that your too short for me to follow Cordy, but what if I fell against you. You wouldn't be able to catch me, right?" Angel took Connors offered arm then. "Either walk behind us or in front Cordy." Angel told her. He didn't hear her so he added a little begging in. "Please Cordy do as I said. I would be worried about you all of the time that I was trying to concentrate on where I was walking."

"Okay Angel I will go first. I'll be in the kitchen." Connor waited for Cordelia to get to the elevator then he started walking with his father holding onto his arm. By the time they made it to the elevator Cordelia was in the kitchen and the elevator came to them right away. Angel had his head down as though he was watching where he was walking. Connor stepped forward slowly and Angel followed him. He was hesitant at first, but he put both hands on Connor and stepped forward. When they turned around and the elevator doors closed Angel let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Are you alright Dad?" "Yes, it's just a lot more scary when you can't see where your going. You have to make your mind use logic instead of letting the fear overtake you." They reached the first floor and Connor stepped forward when the doors opened.

Angel could sense that everyone was at the dinning room table so he asked Connor to take him to his chair. Connor pulled Angels chair out for him then and directed him to his chair. Angel felt around for the table. He moved his hand over it to see where the corner was then reached out for the chair. When he found it he sat down and pulled it closer to the table. "Thank you Connor." "Your welcome Dad. I am going to see if the ladies need me to bring anything in."

Everyone was quiet. "Okay I know your all here so speak up. Lets not play games with the poor blind man. Spike how did everything go with your first delivery?"

"It was beautiful Angel. In all my years without a soul it never crossed my mind that the babies I drank were anything but an easy meal, but when I saw and heard how hard a woman has to work to bring that baby into the world I realized then how wondrous women are. They go through so much and we men get off scott free. Present company excluded." Spike laughed at what he said. For one second he had forgotten that Angel was going to go through the same thing.

The women came in with all of the food. Connor brought in 2 large platters of angel hair pasta that he put at each end of the table. Cordelia brought in some garlic bread and a bowl of salad. Buffy brought in a serving thermos full of blood along with mugs full of blood for Spike, Hunter, and Angel. Fred brought in a couple of bowls of sauce for the pasta. They all sat down then and started to serve themselves. Cordelia had gone to the large kitchen and grabbed a bag of human blood to put into his mug. Angel smelled it and took a sip. He put both of his hands on the mug and without him realizing it his face changed as he noisily drank the whole thing. As he put the mug down he licked his lips and wiped the rest off with his thumb then licked the blood off of his thumb.

Cordelia saw everyone looking at Angel. She put her hand on his. "Angel they're all looking at you. You have your vamp face on." Angel quickly changed his features.

"I'm sorry everyone but ever since Angelus was caged he won't help me to heal sometimes unless I drink human blood. He leaves me very weak and that's a signal to me that he isn't going to do what he was told to do unless he gets what he wants, and that of course is human blood. It's his way of getting back at me I guess."

"I'm sorry Angel, it's partly my fault. I shouldn't have given that to you at the dinner table. I know how it makes you react. Do you forgive me?" Cordelia said as she wiped the blood off of his chin. "All is forgiven."

Cordelia sat down again and started to eat her dinner. Everyone was still quiet after seeing Angel vamp out at the table so Cordelia thought she would redirect their thoughts.

"You noticed Mom how I admitted that it was partially my fault right away? I didn't let Angel take all of the blame by himself." Cordelia said this real loud so that everyone could hear.

Dr. Martin knew where this was going and why she was doing it so she played along. "Yes Cordelia I did notice that and that was very brave of you. I commend you for stepping forward and having the courage to admit your part in this."

"Okay, Okay, Okay! As soon as Dr. Thompson comes over here I promise to tell him that it was my fault that you went into premature labor because I led everyone over the fences. Women!"

"After all the years that you have known Cordelia Angel, did you actually think that she was going to let that incident drop. You know how she acts like everything is okay then brings it out when it can be put to good use." Wesley reminded Angel.

"I know but I was hoping that, that was part of Queen C that was thrown out of the door." Angel knew he was taking a big chance in saying that. Just as he said that though he smelled Dr. Thompson's presence. Angel just put his hands over his face. "Tell me this isn't happening, somebody please tell me this isn't happening."

"Sorry sire but it's your turn to go on stage now." Spike was laughing a wicked laugh. He was having a ball seeing his sire humiliated in front of all of these people.

"Spike would you help me please?" Angel asked. "Stand right there Mike, don't come any closer. Angel has something to say to you." Spike came over and assisted Angel. Before they left the table Angel held out his hand for Cordelia. "Come with me Cordy." Cordelia got up and followed him. "Connor would you provide a chair for Cordelia next to Dr. Thompson." Connor stood up to get the chair and put it over by Dr. Thompson.

Spike took Angel over to stand in front of Dr. Thompson then stepped away. Angel went down on one knee in front of Cordelia and reached out for her hand.

"Dr. Thompson it has been brought to my attention that I was being a coward at your office when you scolded Cordelia for jumping fences when we went horseback riding in Ireland. I should have spoken up and told you that it was my fault that she went into premature labor. I was the one that was leading the group and it was my fault that my daughter was bounced around so much. Instead of taking the long way around so that my wife and daughter would be safe I took a short cut over the fences that divide the pastures in Ireland. She had no choice but to follow me. Please forgive me Cordelia for letting you take the fall for me."

"I forgive you Angel. You may rise now."

Cordelia guided Angel back to his chair. He sat down and reached for some of Cordelia's food even though it was cold. "Did you ever get that yeast from Ireland Cordy?" "No not yet, I'll have to call Mrs. Jenkins."

"I want to do something. I'm getting bored. I've done just about all that I can do without being able to see what I'm doing. Cordy and I had sex all afternoon and then slept the rest of the time."

Cordelia hit him. "Angel, do you have to tell them everything we do?" "What difference does it make. There are 3 Vampires in the hotel and Connor can hear just as well as I do. When Wesley and Fred were having sex we heard everything. When Spike and Buffy, well let me take that back. When Spike and Buffy have sex everybody knows. The only ones we haven't heard yet is Hunter and Mike."

"Lets go see Lorne at Caritas." Connor suggested.

"Yeah that sounds good." Everybody yelled.

"Wait a minute we have to clean up first." Fred said and as the new commander she was obeyed. Everyone started taking something into the kitchen.

"Wait a minute. Fred can I have something to eat? I haven't had anything yet." Dr. Thompson asked as he grabbed some of the bread.

"Yes, of course you can. Make yourself a plate and you can warm it up in the microwave over here. Do you want any salad and bread?" Fred asked him. "Yes please." Mike answered as he grabbed the Angel Hair Pasta before it was put away. Cordelia offered him the sauce which he took and poured some on his pasta. Fred warmed it up for him in the microwave while he took the salad and bread out to the table.

"Go and sit down and I'll bring it out when it's done Mike." Hunter told him. When it was done she took it out to him with some silverware, a napkin, and a can of Coca Cola. Hunter sat down with him then while Mike had his dinner.

Cordelia put Angel to work by giving him a towel to dry the dishes. Cordelia was washing the dishes. When Angel was ready for another dish he would just hold out his hand and she would put a dish or silverware in it which he then proceeded to wipe. Everyone was done in 15 minutes. Record time Cordelia said.

Cordelia took Angel to his chair and went upstairs to get ready to go to Carritas.

When she came downstairs she gave Angels keys to Spike. "Lets go people." Cordelia shouted. Wesley and Fred came down with Dr. Martin. Connor was right behind them.

"Do you know where Caritas is Dr. Thompson?" Cordelia asked as she came to get Angel.

"Yes. We'll be right behind you anyway." Mike took his plates into the kitchen. Then he grabbed Hunters hand and went running out to his car. Dr. Martin, Connor, and Gunn rode with Wesley and Fred. They all took off to Caritas then. Cordelia called Lorne to let him know that they were coming so that he could make room for 11 people.

By the time they all arrived at Caritas Lorne had their tables ready. Everyone ordered drinks except for those that were driving. Cordelia agreed to drive Angels car so Spike could have some drinks. Fred was going to drive Wesley's SUV and Dr. Martin was going to drive

Dr. Thompson's car since alcohol didn't affect her. When Buffy asked for a margarita Dr. Thompson looked at her and shook his head saying "Can't do that Buffy. Everything you consume now you have to ask yourself first, is this good for my baby."

"But that isn't fair. Spike can drink all he wants." Buffy changed her order to a 7 UP with cherries. "I don't believe I saw you drink any tea before we left." Dr. Thompson said as a hint to Buffy. Her eyes lit up then her smile turned down. "I don't think I'm getting morning sickness. I drink the tea just in case but I've never become sick in the morning, noon, or evening. Rats!"

After several hours of drinks those that were drinking were feeling good. Fortunately they were all happy drunks. The men were taking their turns going up to the stage and singing to their wives. When it was Angels turn they all had to pick him up and put him on the stage. He didn't want to do it but once he was on the stage he couldn't get down by himself so he was stuck. Cordelia felt sorry for him so she went up to the stage.

"Sing the Irish lullaby you sung to Kathleen when we were in the barn with Buffy and Spike. I don't know why Angel but you sounded real good when you sung it." Angel thought about it and decided to give it a try. He asked Cordelia to point herself to the audience and he stood behind her. He was going to do this without music since he had no idea what the music was and was fairly certain that it wouldn't be among the music that Lorn had in the computer for accompaniment. Everyone was quiet as he sang the lullaby to his daughter. Even the bartender and waitresses had stopped serving drinks. When he was done everyone was standing to applause and blowing their nose. Cordelia started to help him down but then he stopped.

"Alright you guys you put me up here now you have to get me down. I'm kind of wobbly right now and that is added onto my original problem." Angel called out into the audience. Gunn, Wesley, Spike and Connor went to get Angel. "Turn around Angel and just fall backwards and we'll catch you." "What do you think I am? Crazy." "Common Angel don't you trust us?" Angel hesitated but then turned around and did as Wesley said. They caught him with ease and stood him upright. Angel turned around and looked at them. "Uh guys, I seem to have to go to the mens room. Can someone take me?"

"Sorry Angel, your probably feeling my urge to go." Cordelia said as she started heading for the ladies room. Dr. Martin had to go also so she followed her.

"Okay Angel I'll make the big sacrifice and take you, but if you think I'm going to hold it for you your crazy." Gunn said as he got up to lead Angel. Angel took Gunn's arm and followed him to the mens room. When they got to the mens room Gunn just put Angel in front of the urinal. "Go to it man your in position. Just point it straight ahead and don't go to the left or right." "Okay, okay enough with the wise cracks." Angel stood there for a minute and nothing happened. "Uh Gunn, since I rarely have to do this I need some help. Would you turn the faucet on please."

"I feel like I am with a kid." Gunn said as he turned the water on. With the water running Gunn suddenly had the urge to empty his bladder. Fortunately the running water had helped Angel and he was done at the same time as Gunn. They washed their hands then Gunn walked Angel out and back to the bar. Dr. Martin came out of the ladies room at the same time and followed Angel down the hall. Cordelia had already gone back to the bar so it was just Gunn, Angel and Dr. Martin going down the hall. Angel could hear Dr. Martin walking behind him. He let go of Gunn's arm and put his arm around Dr. Martin's shoulder. "I'll take care of him Gunn." Gunn turned around and saw Angel with his arm around Dr. Martin's shoulder and giving her a kiss on the top of her head. Angel had a goofy smile on his face. "Okay Doc he's all yours."

That was the last time anyone saw them. Gunn went back to the table and Cordelia asked him where Angel was. "He's coming with Dr. Martin." Five minutes later and their was still no Angel or Dr. Martin.

"Wesley, something is wrong. Angel and Dr. Martin haven't returned yet and it's been over five minutes." Cordelia was starting to panic. When she thought about it she realized that she couldn't 'hear' him. All sense of him was gone. It was like he was asleep.

Five very large men had grabbed Angel and quickly put him down with something that they pressed over his mouth which had him unconscious in seconds. They dragged him out to a van in the alley way behind Carritas. They did the same to Dr. Martin. While they put Angel in chains they put tape around Dr. Martins hands.

In a large black limo 2 men sat in the back. Four of the men got into the van while one of them came over to the Limo and climbed in. "We have the vampire and a woman that he had his arm around. We think it's the woman he calls Dr. Martin sir." Good, now we'll find out what Morgan is up to.

TBC.................................................


	10. Chapter 10

The Gift

Chapter 10

* * *

End of previous chapter.....................

Five very large men had grabbed Angel and quickly put him down with something that they pressed over his mouth which had him unconscious in seconds. They quickly dragged him out to a van in the alley way behind Caritas and did the same to Dr. Martin. While they put Angel in chains they put tape around Dr. Martins hands. Four of the men got into the van while one of them went over to a large black Limo, climbed in and joined 2 men that had been sitting in the back. "We have the Vampire and a woman that he had his arm around. We think it's the woman he calls Dr. Martin sir." "Good, now well find out what Morgan is up to." One of the men sitting in the back seat said.

* * *

The van that was carrying Angel and Dr. Martin traveled on I-5 and over into the San Fernando Valley. It pulled into a warehouse located in Van Nuys by the airport where many antique planes used in the movies were kept. The warehouse was used to store miscellaneous items used by the studios. Many of the items were previously used on western movie sets. Now though all of the warehouse and its contents were owned by the 2 men that were in the back seat of the limo.

The limo driver followed the van into the warehouse and stopped just behind it. The driver got out and came around to the back and opened the door for his employer. The three men got out then and went over to the back of the van. Two of the men that had grabbed Angel opened the doors of the van. They had cattle prods in their hands which were a lot more powerful then those made for humans. They soon realized that they didn't need them because the occupants were still unconscious. Two of the men pulled Angel out and placed him on the floor of a cage. One of the other men picked up Dr. Martin and placed her on a couch that was by the cage that Angel was in. Five more chairs were set up around the cage. The 3 men from the limo took seats around the cage. The others went over to a table and started to play cards. Dr. Martin was the first to awaken. She sat up and looked around. The first ones she spotted were the men in the chairs.

"Where are we and why did you take us away from Caritas?" One of the men got up and came over and sat on the couch next to Dr. Martin. He wasn't a very tall man, he appeared to be around 5"6' or 5"7'. He wore an expensive looking blue suit with a silver tie and a diamond studded tie clasp. She could smell the expensive after shave he was wearing and also the pipe tobacco. Even though he was small of stature he carried himself in such a way that you immediately saw him as a leader.

"Dr. Martin I presume." "Yes, I am Dr. Mary Martin." Dr. Martin was afraid, but she did her best not to show it. At the same time she was worried about Angel and concerned that he hadn't regained consciousness yet.

"Dr. Martin I am Stephen Johnson, this is my colleague David Peterson."

"Mr. Johnson, would you let me check Angel please?" Dr. Martin asked. She was concerned that they may have carelessly let Angel hit the back of his head.

"Why do you want to check him. He appears to be just passed out from the alcohol and the either."

"We were in an accident last Friday and Angel was the only one hurt. As a result from those injuries Angel is having problems with his motor skills and he is temporarily blind." Dr. Martin wasn't sure if she should tell Johnson any of this but she finally decided that it wouldn't make any difference once Angel woke up.

Johnson motioned for one of the guards to open the cage and to unlock the chains on Angel while he cut the tape binding Dr. Martins hands. She immediately went to Angel and the guard closed the cage door.

She carefully checked the back of his head for blood and to see if the wound had been reopened. Everything looked ok though and no blood was present. She picked his head up and attempted to get him to wake up by lightly slapping his face. Angel started to wake up. He rubbed at his eyes and turned his head around as though he was trying to see where he was, then he remembered that he was blind.

"Where are we?" "We've been kidnaped Angel. We seem to be in some warehouse where they store furniture that they use in the movies. I hear airplanes taking off and landing all of the time also so we must be very close to an airport. The planes sound different from regular propeller driven airplanes though. They make a lot of noise so that it sounds like they are very heavy and slow. Do you think you can contact Cordelia and let her know we are okay?" Dr. Martin asked him as she helped him to get up.

"I'll try but I can't promise anything." Angel started to walk forward and quickly ran into the bars of his cage. He ran his hand around the cage to get an idea as to how big his cage was. He then turned to where he sensed that the men were.

"Why have you taken us and who are you?"

"I am Stephen Johnson and beside me is my partner David Peterson. We have brought you here to find out what David Morgan is doing. We know that you have had something to do with his new business. We know that he came to you for something. He was observed going into your hotel with a rather large group of his guards and his wife. What we found very odd is that his guards left except for one and Morgan along with his wife stayed overnight with you. Everyone is wondering what this new business is and that is what you are doing here Angel. You are here to answer our questions."

"Why don't you ask David Morgan?" Angel asked. All the time he was listening to Johnson he was taking in all of the scents of everyone their. He also listened to the planes taking off and landing. Every bit of information that he could take in without his sight was being recorded and cataloged in his mind. Later he would use that information to get out. Right now he was passing it on to Cordelia. Whether she was receiving it or not he couldn't tell, he had never tried communicating to her from such a long distance. He couldn't even do it with Spike but he was hoping that the special bond between Cordelia and himself would strengthen that link.

"We don't believe that Morgan will give up that information until he is ready to. Right now he is renovating an old hotel. We have been able to obtain information that he is taking special care to soundproof each room. The rooms are being furnished with the very best in furnishing and each room has its own whirlpool bath. We know this because of the orders he has placed. So tell us Angel what is he doing?"

"Do you know what I am and what David is?" Angel asked.

"Yes, that is why we have you in that steel cage." Johnson answered.

"You know then that this cage can't hold me if I didn't choose to let it set my boundaries. Open up the door and let us out. I promise not to attack you unless I am provoked." Angel put his hand out to Dr. Martin then so that she would come to him. Dr. Martin came to his side and Angel put his arm around her shoulder and held her closely. He bent his head down and kissed the top of her head then whispered to her. "Cordelia heard me. I can hear her calling to me. It's very faint and I don't know yet if she heard me tell her where I think we are."

"Okay Angel. I have heard that you are a Vampire with a soul and that you are a man of honor so I am going to trust you. I want to warn you though that my men do know how to subdue you if you try anything." He told the guard to let them out. Angel put his hand on Dr. Martins shoulder and she lead him out when the guard opened the door.

"Do you have bathroom facilities that I can use Mr. Johnson?" Dr. Martin asked.

"Yes. Richards show them where it is. When they are done return them here." The man that Johnson called Richards came over and led Dr. Martin and Angel to the bathroom. Dr. Martin went in first and left Angel with Richards. A few minutes later she came out. "Do you have to relieve yourself Angel? I know you had 4 or 5 glasses of beer." "Yes I have to go but I want Richards here to take me in. I have a hard enough time as it is and I don't think I could do it knowing that your in their with me." Dr. Martin tried to cover her smile and keep it out of her voice.

"Richards would you please take Angel in. I noticed that the bathroom has a urinal so just point him in the right direction. You might have to turn the water on so that he can hear the running water. Offer your arm to him so that he can hold onto you. Angel there is one step that you have to go down so be careful. Richards will watch for you and tell you when you have to take a step down." Richards offered his arm to Angel and Dr. Martin put his hand on Richards arm and close to his elbow. She stood back then and they went into the bathroom. Five minutes later the door opened again and Richards guided Angel out. He continued to guide Angel back to Johnson and the rest. He guided him over to the couch and Dr. Martin followed.

"Thank you Richards." "Your welcome Mr. Angel." Richards answered and then returned to his original seat. "Please just call me Angel."

"Johnson, I can't tell you what Morgan is doing exactly all I can tell you is that he came to ask my permission to carry on a new type of business here in L.A. that only he could run. You can't run the same business because you don't have access to the correct type of employees. Nor do you have the set up to take care of these employees. I can't explain further because you need to see a tape that he has in his possession. But my advice to you is to just wait until he is open for business then send someone in to use the service that he is providing. Or else I can give him a call and you 2 can meet at my hotel where you can both feel safe."

"What assurance do I have that I will be safe and that he will tell me what he is doing? It's not only me that's interested Angel. The other groups that carry on business here in L.A. are interested also. I have even received inquiries from Chicago." Johnson said. Just as he was through talking one of his guards came running in. He whispered something to him.

"It seems that you have some people that want to rescue you. I am going to let you go for now Angel and I will call you to see when you want us to meet with Morgan. Don't betray me Angel, you'll regret it."

Angel didn't say anything more. He could have told Johnson all that he wanted to know but he felt that, that was Morgans business. Richards gave Angel his arm to hold on to and started to guide them out of the warehouse. When Angel felt that they were almost at the door he stopped and pulled Richards to him. Angel whispered in his ear, "Tell Johnson that he is the one that will regret it if he continues to try to satisfy his curiosity. If he continues to pursue this then dry dock will become a very well used phrase. Thank you for your help."

Dr. Martin stepped forward and took Angels hand and put it on her shoulder. She carefully stepped out of the warehouse. "There is a step there Angel so be careful." Angel put his toe forward until he found the step then proceeded. Wesley, Gunn and Spike came over to them.

"What happened Angel?" Wesley asked. "We'll explain everything later, for now lets head over to Morgans. Give him a call at home to see where he's at. Is Cordelia with you?" "Yes she's with Buffy in your car. We needed her to find you and Dr. Martin." Wesley said as they walked back to the cars.

Cordelia almost fell as she climbed out of the back of the car. She ran to Angel and threw her arms around his neck. They were so happy to be together again where they could touch one another that they just stood there and hugged each other.

Wesley had called Morgans home and found that he had been at work but that he was on his way back home. "Let's go Angel, Morgan is on his way home right now. I told Marissa that we were coming over right now."

Angel got into the back of the car and Cordelia sat with him. Dr. Martin sat in the back with them and Buffy sat with Spike in the front. "How was it when you heard me calling to you?" Angel asked Cordelia as she leaned her head on him. She was tired and it had already been a long day and night.

"You came through loud and clear. I tried calling to you did you hear me?" "Yes but very faintly. Maybe you'll get better as time goes by. I can sense you all of the time now though. Since we are together now why don't you try to get a little sleep. I can sense how tired you are." Angel said as he hugged her more tightly. Cordelia slept peacefully now that she had her husband with her.

Cordelia was only able to get twenty minutes of sleep before they reached the Morgans house in the hills. Wesley stopped at the gate and told the guard that they were expected by Marissa Morgan. The guard opened the gate and they all drove to the front entrance of the mansion. As Spike came to a stop Angel woke Cordelia up.

"Why don't you just raise yourself up and sit on the side then swing your legs over and get out that way?" Spike suggested as he held the door open. Angel liked his suggestion so he sat on the side of the car and swung his legs over and promptly fell over and out of the car when his foot caught on the seat belt that was hanging in the back of the seat. Fortunately for Spike he caught Angel just as he started to fall head first. Angel disentangled his foot from the strap and put his feet squarely on the ground. To Spikes surprise Angel reached out and grabbed Spike around the neck with his arm. They fell on the ground and started wrestling to be the one on top. The guards came running over but Wesley stopped them from separating the two. "Let them have some fun, it's been pretty serious lately and I think this is just helping them to let out some steam."

Angel was getting the better of Spike because Spike was being careful not to let Angel hit his head. After they both started breathing hard Spike held up his hands and said "I give up, you win." He then helped Angel up.

Cordelia came over to Angel and started to clean the grass off of his jacket. Buffy did the same for Spike. "Did we have fun?" Cordelia asked Angel. "Yes as a matter of fact I did. Thanks Spike I needed that." "Any time Sire." Spike said as he finished brushing himself off.

"Lets go you two before Morgan and Marissa wonder what happened to us." Wesley started walking towards the house where Marissa was standing and watching. Spike came over to Angel and offered his arm. They all walked up to the entrance of the house then. Marissa greeted them all and asked them to come in. She noticed how Angel and Spike walked more slowly and Angel seemed to be careful of each step he took. She also noticed Angel walked slightly behind Spike and with his hand through Spike's arm. Spike and Angel stopped to greet Marissa and as usual she curtsied to him but he couldn't see her. He didn't grab her hand or hug her so she stepped forward and took his hand and kissed it.

"Please come in Angel. David is on his way home now and I've let him know that you were coming here and wanted to speak with him." Marissa said as she walked with him to the sitting room. Everyone sat around the room where ever they could find a seat. The butler brought in some chairs from the dining room for those that were still standing. Marissa excused herself when she heard her husband come in. David came directly over to Angel to shake his hand in greeting. He immediately noticed that Angel was having a problem with his sight. Gunn, Spike, Connor and Buffy were sitting close to Angel and that they had sat with their backs to the wall.

"I see that you have had some changes recently." David stated when Angel hesitated in shaking his hand. Spike had to tell him that David wanted to shake hands. David then had to take Angels hand instead of the other way around.

"Yes, we have had some changes. We were in an accident on Friday when we were coming back from the L.A. airport. Dr. Martin had to tell me that a P.V.C. pipe flew off of a truck and hit me in the back of the head. As a result I have temporarily lost my sight and I am having a few problems in my motor skills." Angel told David. David noticed how Angel talked with his head slightly bent down.

"From what Marissa tells me you are still able to handle yourself quiet well. She said she saw you and Spike wrestling out on the front lawn." They all started laughing when he said that.

"Yeah I have to apologize for that childish display. I had been sitting in the back of my car and Spike kindly suggested that I raise myself up and sit on the side of the car and swing my legs over. Unfortunately for me he neglected to tell me that he had left his seat belt hanging over the back of the seat and when I swung my legs over to the outside my foot got caught in the belt and I almost fell backwards. He saved his life though by catching me, but I felt that I had to punish him by grinding his face into the ground and making him cry uncle." Everyone was laughing when he got through.

Marissa stepped forward "Does anyone want something to drink before we go any further?"

"Yes Marissa can I have a nice tall glass of cold milk and a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich? All of a sudden I am having an awful craving for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

Cordelia asked as she licked her lips.

"I presume you want one also Angel?" Marissa asked. "I'm not feeling her cravings yet but I am sure I will shortly so yes you might as well bring me one also but I'll take a cold glass of blood instead."

Everyone asked for coffee, hot tea or cokes. Marissa left to let the butler know what they wanted and then returned to sit by her husband.

"How have you been doing lately David?" Angel asked him. "Better Angel better. I guess my demon isn't as near as bad as Angelus. I have been able to reconcile myself with the things that I have done in my past. Ever since you forgave me for what happened to you and your wife I started getting better. I guess you could say it was my turning point. I sleep in our bed with Marissa now instead of the basement chained to a pipe." Marissa held David's hand while he was talking.

"How is the business going?" "It's going very well. We haven't opened for business yet but we will be soon." It was obvious that he was very happy about the soon to open business.

"David the reason that I wanted to see you at this late hour was because Dr. Martin and I were kidnaped by a Stephan Johnson and David Peterson. We had been having a few drinks at Caritas and they snatched us out of the back when we were coming back from the bathrooms." David looked at Angel as though he wanted to ask a question.

David leaned forward and whispered something in Angels ear then sat back down.

"Yes I do occasionally. Getting Cordelia's morning sickness and cravings isn't the only thing that I pick up from her. It's terrible when you first get that feeling and you don't remember what it means. Cordelia and I will have to talk to you and Marissa about that later but for now lets get back to Johnson and Peterson. Johnson kidnaped us because he wants to know what you are up to. He knows all about the hotel your are renovating and the beautiful furniture you are installing in each of the rooms and the extra sound proofing of the walls. He knows all about the hotel David but he doesn't know why your doing it. He said he even has Chicago calling him to find out what your doing. I told him that he needed to talk to you about it and to see a certain tape that was in your possession. I also told him that I would set up a meeting place where you would both feel safe." Angel stopped when the butler brought him his sandwich and drink. Others brought in a couple of trays full of the requested drinks. He noticed how the butler gave him his sandwich before he gave Cordelia hers. He thought this was odd because protocol dictated that the woman was always served first except in certain cases.

"Yes I have heard how the mafia is interested. Usually they don't bother me because of what I and all of my guards are. Did you tell them anything about what I am doing?" "No I was able to talk my way out of it. One of the guards, a man named Richards, was helping while we were there. Before we walked out of the warehouse I told him to tell Johnson that he would regret it if he continued to pursue his curiosity and that the words 'Dry Dock' would become very familiar to him." All of the men laughed at this.

"I don't know Angel. This is big, really big when the big boys from Chicago want to know what is going on. Do you have any suggestions as to how we can handle this?" Cordelia whispered to Dr. Martin "I think that this is good for Angel to see how David handles things. David opens himself up for suggestions from others and doesn't think that his way is the only way like he does." "Yes I think so to. Why don't we see if the women can go someplace else and talk. I think that the men will feel more comfortable talking without the women around." Cordelia tried to get up by herself but she was starting to feel awkward with the extra weight of her daughter and the extra pounds she was putting on. So far she had only put on 7 pounds besides Kathleen's weight but it was weight that she wasn't used to.

Wesley had been sitting next to Cordelia so when he saw her trying to get up he stood up and pulled her up. "Thank you Wesley. I must remember not to sit on this couch until after Kathleen is born." All of a sudden Cordelia started to cry. "What's wrong Cordelia, why are you crying?" Wesley asked as he hugged her. "I don't know, I guess I'm just very tired and I feel so fat. I feel like I'm as big as a house. I can't even get up from the couch by myself?" She pushed herself away from him and went to Marissa. "Do you have someplace I can lay down Marissa? I'm real tired and sleepy." "Sure Cordelia, come with me, you can lay down in the library."

Angel called to her "Wait a minute Cordelia were leaving now." Angel stood up and held his hand out for Morgan. "Thank you for coming and telling me about this Angel." David said as he shook Angels offered hand.

"Either come and see me or give me a call tomorrow David and let me know what you want to do. We have an architect coming tomorrow, then we will be leaving to go to Sunnydale on Tuesday evening. I am offering you the use of my home there for your meeting if you like." "Thank you I'll think about it. I'm sorry that you and Dr. Martin were drawn into this."

Spike came to Angel and offered his arm. They all left then and returned to the Hyperion. Cordelia was half asleep as Spike led Angel up to their room. Angel was holding onto Spikes arm and Cordelia was holding onto Angels. They looked like 3 kids that were being taken some place and the teacher told them to hold onto each others hands. Wesley was laughing to himself as he walked to his room with Fred by his side. "What's so funny?" Fred asked as they approached their room.

"Look at Angel, Spike, and Cordelia." Fred looked at them. "Aw that's cute." They went into their room then and quietly closed the door on the days activity. Everyone was tired so they all went to sleep. Connor as usual was the only one that was still up. As usual he had made a bee line to the kitchen and made a sandwich for himself and took it upstairs to his room along with a tall glass of milk and chips.

The next day no one was stirring until after 11 a.m.. Everyone came down the stairs at the same time. Angel was feeling a little more confident in walking without being able to see. He had his hand on Cordelia's shoulder as they walked to the elevator and came over to the dinning room table. Cordelia was still feeling fat today so she fixed herself a couple of soft boiled eggs with only one piece of toast with no butter. Instead of the whole milk she had a glass of the 2 milk. She brought Angel a glass of his warmed blood along with her food.

They all brought their pictures of how they wanted their rooms to be built. Dr. Martin had hers along with a picture of how she wanted the medical room to be built also.

When they started comparing their notes on how the lobby should be changed Angel spoke up. He hadn't said anything about how Cordelia wanted the room or how the children's rooms should be built but he did speak up when he heard them talking about making changes to the lobby.

"I don't want any changes to be made to the lobby." Everyone stopped talking and looked at Angel. Wesley started with why he thought they should make changes. Everyone else added in their two cents also.

Dr. Martin was the only one that hadn't said anything. "Why don't you want it changed Angel?" She asked in a calm voice which was totally different from the others. Everyone looked at Angel again.

"I have too many memories in there. It's where you gave me back my life and took me away from Angelus. It's where I hung from that cross for an hour until Cordy found me. It's where I first met you Mom and where Cordelia and I professed our eternal love for each other in marriage. Do what you have to do Wesley to make it safe for the children but don't change the way it looks please." Angel got up then and made his way over to the kitchen by himself. He wanted a cup of coffee. Cordelia and Wesley followed him.

Cordelia went over to Angel. "Hey that was pretty good." She put her arm around him. "Yeah, I surprised myself also. I wasn't really thinking about where I was going I just wanted to come to the kitchen and I did it. Wesley I know you're here." "Yes Angel." "Wesley, I just have too many memories in the lobby and I don't want it to change. Every time I walk in there those memories come back to me. They remind me better then the mark of Dr. Martins ring in the palm of my hand. But most of all I remember and thank God for the day you, Gunn and Cordelia excepted me back as your friend." Wesley, Cordelia and Angel all hugged. By the time they separated they where all sniffling and grabbing a napkin to blow their noses and act like nothing happened.

"It will stay the same Angel until we are no longer here to say that it stays the same." Wesley said. "Thanks Wesley. I appreciate it."

They all went back to the dinning room table then. Angel didn't even hold onto anyone as he walked back with his coffee. "The lobby will stay as it is. We will make whatever changes we have to make to make sure that it is child proof but the look of the lobby and the 2nd floor balcony will remain the same." No one said anything because they all knew why it was going to stay the same.

"I am going downstairs to get some exercise does anyone want to join me? Someone like Spike maybe." Angel asked as he stood up and drank the rest of his coffee as he headed for the basement door. Spike jumped up and ran to his side. "Getting brave aren't we."

"Remember what Angelus used to tell you all of the time when you where first turned?" Angel asked Spike. "Yeah, you don't know if you can do it until you try it. Just let me go first in case you fall okay?" "That's agreeable." Angel said as Spike went first and then turned and watched him.

Angel stood at the top of the stairs and holding onto the door. "How many steps are their?" Spike counted the steps. "Sixteen." "Okay then here it goes." Angel let go of the door and started to go down the steps without hesitating. He counted the steps as he went down, 1,2,3,4,5,6..........

He didn't stop until he got to the 16th step and then jumped with both feet to the floor. He had a big grin on his face just like a little boy that had just successfully managed the stairs by himself.

"Congratulations Sire. I'll make sure that you get the blue ribbon tonight. So, what do you want to do first?" "Lets warm up first." Angel said as he started to take his clothes off. He continued until he had stripped down to his shorts. That's when Spike said something before Angel took off his last stitch of clothing. "Wait a minute now. What are you doing. You going to let Angel Jr. get some air or something." Spike was just going to take his shirt off but stopped when he saw how far Angel was going.

"Why not, are you chicken or something. The only one here that hasn't seen all of me is Dr. Thompson. Or are you afraid that Angel Junior might start getting excited when I see Cordelia come down in the full blown beauty of her pregnancy. Then you'll be able to see what the women have been talking about."

"Do you really get turned on when you see Cordelia?" Spike asked Angel as he sat down on the edge of the folding table. Angel had started to do some stretching exercises but stopped when Spike ask him that.

"Spike it's weird, I've often heard the description of a pregnant woman as glowing but I didn't know that it turned me on. Every time I see her I start reacting to her. The bigger she gets the more powerful my reaction to her is. The worst thing Spike is that she doesn't want to have sex very often now. It's almost as bad as it was before our wedding. Sometimes it gets so bad that it's actually painful, but fortunately at those times my body starts getting hot so at least I can go and take a cold shower." Spike was smiling as he listened to Angel.

"Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought of you talking like this. I knew that Angelus would always choose a pregnant woman over a non pregnant one and now I know why."

"Did he really? I guess that was something that he always left me out of. Lets get busy before Cordelia comes down here and you get a view of real greatness." Angel started doing his stretching exercises again. Spike stripped down to just his shorts and joined Angel in the center.

Forty five minutes into their exercise routine Wesley came down and told them that the architect was on his way and would be there in another 30 minutes. "What are you two doing anyway?" Wesley went back to the top of the stairs and shouted. "Hey everyone Angel and Spike are down here exercising naked."

Spike and Angel heard everyone come running over to the basement. "Let's do some push ups before we call it quits. They won't be able to see anything and yet get a good look at what you call your tight butt." Angel whispered to Spike before the others got their. "Well lets give them something to look at." Spike took his shorts off. "You want to join me in the free for all?" Yeah, hell every one has seen me anyway. I don't need to try to hide anything." Angel took his shorts off and put them to the side then started doing pushups. Spike positioned himself close to Angel. When he heard everyone coming downstairs he started counting loudly except he kicked it up by 60.

61,62,63,64,65,66,67

All the ladies came down first and took seats at the bottom of the steps. Dr. Martin whispered to Cordelia and Buffy. "They are obviously putting themselves on display. Let's play with what they are giving us. Fred would you go and get us 2 measuring sticks?" "Sure Dr. Martin." Fred made her way through the crowd on the steps and was back in less then a minute with 2 yard sticks. She gave the yardsticks to Dr. Martin. "Thanks Fred. Here we are girls. Do you know what to do?" "Oh yes." Buffy and Cordelia said as they took the measuring sticks. "Lay it on thick ladies." Dr. Martin said with a grin. She tried to hide it by putting her hand over her mouth.

Buffy and Cordelia made their way down the steps and walked over to their respective husbands.

100,101,102,103,104,105,106.

Cordelia and Buffy got on their knees then laid down on their sides. "Come on Angel I can't get a clear measure here. How is Spike doing Buffy?" "I almost got it, one more time Spike but a little higher. Oh darn, I almost had the measurement then as I was looking at the number Angel was just going up and he drew my attention away from the number. Why don't you measure Spike Cordelia and I'll measure Angel. That way we'll be sure to keep our eye on the numbers."

"That sounds good to me." Cordelia said. She had some difficulty getting up though and that caught Angels attention. He couldn't see her but he heard her very well. He felt himself starting to get warm but he thought it was just the exercise. Buffy came over and helped Cordelia up then laid down on her side next to Angel.

130,131,132,133,134.

As she started to take her measurements she noticed that Angel was going to hurt himself any moment now. Buffy jumped up and grabbed a couple of towels and threw them over Angel and Spike. "Uh Cordelia I think they need to stop now. The show I believe is over."

150,151,152,153,154,155.

"Angel and Spike stop right now."

156,157,158,159,160.

"I said stop right now." Cordelia was still laying down and trying to get a measurement. "Why do you want to stop, I almost got my number." Cordelia said as she looked over at Buffy.

"I'll show you why." Buffy put her foot on Angels behind and pushed him down hard. Of course what she thought would happen happened.

"OW!" Angel yelled. Cordelia sat up and said 'Oh.' Dr. Martin, Fred and Hunter, who had arrived a few hours ago, were laughing so hard they were crying.

"Lets go ladies so that Buffy and Cordelia can dress their husbands who can't seem to keep their clothes on when their playing." Wesley said as he shooed them up the stairs.

"Really Angel can't you control yourself." Cordelia had gathered up his clothes and handed them to him one by one as he put them on. "As a matter of fact Cordelia we can't. Once the count down for the missile has started the sequence can't be stopped." Spike said as Buffy gave him his clothes as he put them on one by one.

"Once I heard you having difficulty getting up because of your pregnancy I couldn't stop thinking of having sex with you. So it was your fault. In fact Buffy and Spike get out of here and lock the door when you go out." Angel wanted to take Cordelia right their in the basement.

"Angel the Architect is coming we can't do that now. Besides I'm too uncomfortable to feel like sex now. I'm sorry baby but face it your in Dry Dock for awhile." Cordelia buttoned Angels shirt and checked him out to make sure everything was zipped and buttoned.

Angel put his hand on Cordelia's shoulder and followed her upstairs. Spike and Buffy followed them. When they arrived at the dinning room they found the architect was already their. "I'm going upstairs Cordy anything you want to do is okay with me except for you know what."

"Okay Angel. I'll be up as soon as I can." Since Spike and Buffy wasn't needed they went to their rooms and guided Angel on the way. Angel took his rosary off of the bed stand and sat down in his big chair and started praying the rosary. When he was done he just sat and meditated for awhile. He used to call it brooding until Dr. Martin had told him that it was called meditating.

The phone rang and broke his train of thought. "Hello. This is Angel" "Angel this is David. I've talked with all of my advisors and we have decided that it is best to meet with Johnson over in Sunnydale. We can meet with just your people their. My personal guards insisted though that I take along at least one of my guards. So I'm bringing Bobby. Johnson can do the same. Give me a call when you have everything set up. If Johnson wants more than 1 guard with him then that's okay with me but no more than 3. One of us can easily take care of 3 of his guards but hopefully that won't be necessary. And of course I'll bring my tape." "Okay David, he should be calling soon because I told him that we would be leaving tonight to go to Sunnydale. I'll call him as soon as I set things up. David do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" "Sure Angel."

"Why do you ask others for their advice?" Angel was hesitant to ask the question but he finally got it out.

"I didn't use to do it Angel but every time something didn't go the way I expected it to Marissa would ask me why I hadn't asked others opinions on the problem. She said they might of had a better idea as to how something should be handled. So I finally took her advice and started asking for others opinion. You could of knocked me over with a feather when things started going better and business started improving. So now I always discuss anything big with a group of my guards. These guys are more like my family just like your people are like your family."

"Thanks David I appreciate your being honest with me. Good bye." Angel hung up then and went back to his meditation.

An hour later Cordelia came up. She had a sandwich for herself and one for Angel also. She was tired after her session with the architecture. Dr. Martin was talking to him now and telling him how she wanted her clinic set up. She had been consulting with Hunter on this and incorporating some of her suggestions.

"Angel open the door please. My hands are full." She heard Angel coming over to the door. He opened it and stepped back, he could smell the food she had in her hands.

"What did you bring me?" "I brought us lunch, a ham and cheese sandwich for me and roast beef for you. No potato chips for either one of us. I have some baby carrots if you want any. You want a glass of blood, coffee, or tea?" "Warm blood and tea later. Thank you." Angel said as he sat down at the table. He took the plates off of the tray then put the tray on the floor next to the table. Cordelia warmed up some blood for Angel and grabbed a glass of milk for herself.

"What have you been doing while I was busy planning our room and our children's rooms?"

"Nothing much. David called not to long ago. He said that he wanted to use our mansion in Sunnydale to have the meeting. I told him that as soon as I get a call from Johnson I would call him to let him know when we can meet." Angel said as he picked up his sandwich. He took a spoon and put it into the glass of blood and spooned some of it onto his sandwich. When he felt Cordelia's eyes on him he said "Hey, you have your crazy cravings and I have mine."

"I'm not saying anything." Cordelia said as she held up her hands while laughing. "By the way Dr. Martin told me that she checked with the hospital in Sunnydale and she has booked us for La Maz classes that start on Friday at 7 P.M. and she is going to be with us for some of the classes."

"Are you getting excited or scared or anxious or whatever?" Angel asked her. "It's less than 90 days before the bell rings and it's time for Kathleen to make an appearance."

"Are you?" Cordelia turned the tables on him.

"In a way yes." Angel put his sandwich down. Wiped his mouth and put his hand on Cordelia's.

"Cordelia I promise that I will be with you all of the way, even if I have to move a mountain to get to you." Angel leaned over and kissed her. He picked her up in his arms then and took her to the bed. He started to make love to her but she stopped him. "I'm sorry Angel. I'm just to uncomfortable right now to have sex. I just want you to hold me for now. My breasts are starting to get more tender and my back is hurting most of the time. Just hold me okay?" Angel pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "Go to sleep Cordy. Rest in the knowledge that I love you and I will always do my best to be at your side." They both went to sleep then as she nestled into his arms. Cordelia always felt safe and loved when she was in bed with Angel and he held her as he was doing now.

They were awakened by the phone ringing two hours later. It was Johnson.

"Hello this is Angel." "Angel this is Johnson. Have you spoken to Morgan?" "Yes, he has agreed to meet with us at my home in Sunnydale. What day can you meet with us?" "How about Thursday?" "I believe that will be okay with him. Give me an E-Mail address and I'll send the address and directions to you, and Johnson don't forget that there are several Vampires on the premises along with a Slayer. Don't even think of trying anything because you won't stand a chance. Morgan is going to bring one of his guards with him and he has agreed for you to bing up to 3 of your guards. I won't allow any guns though. I would like one of the guards to be Richards if that's okay with you?" "Why Richards?" "I just took a liking to him." Johnson gave Angel his E-Mail address and then they hung up.

Angel called Morgan right away. "Morgan, this is Angel. Johnson called. He has agreed to meet with us on Thursday. Let's make it at 8 at night okay?" "That's fine with me. Can you send me the directions?" "Yeah, I think Cordelia has your wife's E-Mail address. I'll have her send it to you. See you on Thursday. Good bye."

Angel got up then straightened his clothes and put a fresh shirt on. Cordelia hadn't got out of bed yet and she seemed to still be sleeping but her heart didn't sound right. Angel went over to her and tried to wake her up. He slapped her face lightly and called out to her. "Cordelia wake up." She still didn't open her eyes and yet her heart was beating as though she was awake. Angel backed away from her. He was more scared. He went to the door and opened it. Spike and Dr. Martin were just approaching the door. "There is something wrong with Cordy, she won't wake up."

They both noticed how scared he was.

Angel went to the corner and just stood there. Dr. Martin and Spike did a quick check of Cordelia then Spike picked her up and took her downstairs to the clinic. They could see right off of the bat that she had lost too much blood. Her skin was cold to the touch and pale. Her eyes had a sunk in look to them. Hunter had followed Spike and Dr. Martin into the clinic. They worked on Cordelia for the next 30 minutes to get her stabilized. Then they went to the dining room to get something to drink. Fred went in to sit with Cordelia while the others went to get some coffee. Dr. Martin noticed that Angel wasn't around.

"Where is Angel Wesley?" "He must still be in the room. I'll go and get him." Wesley took the stairs two at a time and was at Angels room within seconds. He found him still standing in the corner. "Angel come down stairs with me." Wesley said it as softly as he could. Angel reached out his hand to Wesley. "Is she alright?" "I don't know Angel but I believe she is stabilized though." Angel took Wesley's arm and they went down stairs.

"Wesley bring Angel over here please." Wesley sat Angel down by the 3 at the table then took the chair on the other side of Dr. Martin. "How is she?" She is okay for now Angel. We are giving her a transfusion right now. We've called Mike and we will be taking Cordelia over to his office as soon as she gets her color back and regains consciousness.

"What is wrong with her?" Angel asked. They noticed that his arm was shaking again. It hadn't done that for the past 24 hours.

"We don't know why Angel but she keeps on losing blood. Hunter has a theory but we need to check on a few things that we can only do at Dr. Thompson's. We will need you to participate in the test though." Dr. Martin told Angel. She got up then and took his hand and put it on her shoulder. "Lets go and see Cordelia Angel." They all went to the clinic as they were calling Dr. Martins special area now.

Fred stood up when they came in. "She's awake now Dr. Martin." "Thank you Fred." They all came over to the bed. Cordelia opened her eyes and looked around. "My goodness you would think I was in a regular hospital with so many doctors around me. Angel." Cordelia reached out for Angels hand. He held her small hand in both of his.

"How are you feeling?" Angel asked her. "Better, I had woke up before you did and I felt so weak that I couldn't get up. I guess I just passed out." "You are going to have to stop doing this Cordelia, your going to make me grow gray hairs." Angel gave his wife a kiss then stood up straight.

"Okay Cordelia, Spike is going to take your blood pressure and temperature. Then we are going to bundle you up and take you to Dr. Thompson's office and try to find out why this is happening. First though Angel we would like for you to try to see how Kathleen is feeling." "What do you mean by feeling. Her mind is blank I never sense anything from her."

"Sure you do Angel. We've seen the look on your face when you put your hand on Cordelia's stomach. You both have smiles on your faces and there is a sense of love in the air. It was the first time that I have ever really regretted not being able to have a baby." As Hunter said this her soft brown skin showed a trail of two tears making trails down her checks. When she noticed the others looking at her she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"Try it Angel. When you seem to be in contact with your daughter I am going to try to join you. Remember how Cordelia had to reassure Kathleen that Connor was okay?" "Yes." "Well you may have to do the same thing for me. Go ahead and start now."

Angel put his hand on Cordelia's stomach, closed his eyes and concentrated. Cordelia felt Kathleen move so that she could put her head under her Daddy's hand. As always Angel had a smile on his face. That was the signal that Hunter was looking for. She put her and on Cordelia's stomach also. Kathleen pulled away at first then she heard her mother say that the stranger was okay. Hunter searched for Kathleen's mind. She sensed a feeling of satisfaction, or of a person that has just had a large meal and was satiated. Hunter pulled her mind out of Kathleen's mind. Angel did the same.

"What did you feel Angel?" Hunter asked as she looked at him. "Nothing that I haven't felt before." "Didn't you sense a feeling her being satiated, as though she had just finished a large meal. Think about when you used to feed on humans Angel. Their must have been times when you had to go several days without a kill, then when you finally were able to feed you felt so good. Do you remember that Angel?"

"Yes, Angelus often let me in on it when he killed. He would be so hungry that he couldn't keep me out of it. The taste of the warm blood running down my throat. The sweetness of the blood if they were scared out of their minds. I felt so good afterwards. I remember sometimes I would think about when I was human and my step mother would cook a large leg of lamb or one of the geese and afterwards we would be so full that we would just lay around and sleep. No one felt like doing anything." Angel stopped and looked at Dr. Martin and Cordelia. He covered his face with his hand.

"Why did you do that to me?" "Because I wanted you to think and remember. Think Angel, think real hard. Isn't that the same feeling that your daughter is feeling right now." Hunter asked him. Angel didn't say anything. He just backed away. "How can this be? How can this happen.?"

"Cordelia do you ever watch Angel drinking his blood and you start to wonder what it tastes like?" Hunter asked. She noticed Angel start to take interest.

"Sometimes, like this afternoon when I brought some sandwiches and a glass of warm blood to him. We sat at the table while we had our lunch and I was watching him spoon some of the blood on his roast beef sandwich. I was just thinking that I would like to taste it. I guess I was staring at him for so long that he felt me watching him." Cordelia said. She was also thinking about how many times she had done it.

"Angel would you help me down please?" "Wait a minute Cordelia, you still have needles attached to you. Let me take your blood pressure and temperature before you get down." Spike said. He gently pushed her back down and put the cuff around her arm. He proceeded to take her blood pressure then her temperature. Hunter listened to the beating of her heart to get the count.

"Her blood pressure is a little low. Her temperature is normal. I think we should give her another bag of blood. She is still a little pale and with her blood pressure being so low she will probably feint again if she tries getting up." Spike told Dr. Martin, Hunter and Angel.

"Go ahead Spike and give her another bag. Cordelia I think I know what is happening

to you, but I want to go to Mikes office to see if we can verify it. About what time did you eat last Cordelia?" Hunter asked. Spike had Cordelia hooked up to another bag of blood by now and was watching it to make sure that it was flowing okay. Angel was watching him watch the blood.

"How can you do that and not start hungering for it?" Angel asked Spike. "I guess I do the same thing that Hunter does. You just kind of slip into a different operational mode. I don't see it as blood for drinking but as a tool that I use to make someone better. I asked Mike one time how he can examine so many women and not want to jump their bones and he said the same thing that I did. You go into a different mode and you just don't see them as people. When Dr. Martin and I were working on you after you were crucified we had you stripped down to your birthday suit. But I couldn't tell anyone how big your equipment is because I wasn't interested in anything other than cleaning you up. I looked at you as my first opportunity to practice all of my book learning and that was the first time that I slipped into my doctor mode."

"Thanks for using that as an example Spike. No wonder you wanted to pull that stunt this morning. I'll have to be careful around you from now on." Angel said. Hunter had never seen Angel blush before. She looked at Dr. Martin and pointed to Angel. "How long has this been going on?" "It's part of his gift from God. Angel is slowly becoming human and little things like this show up. I think since he has been a Vampire longer than he has been a human he is being given things very slowly so that he can learn to deal with it again." Dr. Martin answered Hunter.

By this time the transfusion of new blood had stopped and Spike was starting to take the needle out. "Okay ladies, as soon as it gets dark we can take off. Angel I am going to carry Cordelia over to the couch why don't you take my arm and follow me. It's your turn to sit and let Cordelia lay her head on your lap." Spike picked Cordelia up and Angel put his hand on Spikes shoulder and they went into the lobby.

As soon as the sun went down Spike called Dr. Thompson and told him they were on their way. Dr. Thompson brought the car around to the back and Spike brought Cordelia and Angel out. Hunter sat in the back with them and Spike sat in the front with Dr. Martin. She had started to drive more frequently now that she was going to be living in L.A. permanently.

They were their in less than 30 minutes. Spike had been holding onto the car for dear life. When they pulled up to the back he jumped out as fast as he could. "I am never riding in the car with you again. You drive like a crazy person. I've heard the saying before that if you want to get someplace fast follow a nun or priest. Now I know why they say that and that it's true." Spike went to the other side of the car and helped picked Cordelia up and put her on her feet. They all went in then and waited for Dr. Thompson to see the last patient.

"Dr. Thompson said you can go into his office Spike, he'll be with you in a few minutes." "Thanks Ann." Spike led Angel into the office and Dr. Martin and Hunter walked on either side of Cordelia. When Mike came in he immediately went to Hunter and gave her a kiss.

"Well what's going on Cordelia? What kind of mischief have you been getting into?" "What makes you think I've been up to some mischief? He's accusing me of being a bad person Angel I want you to teach him a lesson." She looked at Angel like she was so innocent. Angel said "Okay." Then he got up and started to walk around the desk. "Angel I'm only kidding sit down."

Angel sat back down right away and laughed. Mike was the only one that wasn't laughing.

"Cordelia lost consciousness again from a lack of blood in her system. This afternoon when they woke up from their afternoon nap she wouldn't wake up. We had to give her 2 bags of blood in order for her to come back to us. From what Dr. Martin and Spike have told me she has been having an ongoing problem with being anemic. So I conducted a little experiment along with Angel this afternoon. As you know pregnant women come up with outrageous cravings. Most people cringe at the sight of what they are eating. I believe that Cordelia has come up with something new that only a women that lives with a Vampire can come up with. I want to test my theory here at your office where we can use the sonnagram to keep an eye on Kathleen." Hunter stopped when Mike raised his hand. Can we stop for a second and have something to eat. Without Spike here to help me I was loaded down with work and I haven't had anything to eat this afternoon. Does anyone mind if our intern gets something for us to eat?" "Yes I'm hungry also. How about a sub sandwich." Dr. Martin said. Without Cordelia knowing it all of this conversation was already set up with Dr. Thompson. Everyone had their part to play.

Spike asked Mike for a pen and paper and took everyone's order down. He had enough blood in a private refrigerator that was in Dr. Thompson's office to feed himself, Hunter and Angel. They all went to the kitchen to wait for Spike to return. Dr. Martin made some coffee for anyone that wanted it. They sat at the table to drink their coffee and talk small talk. Spike was back in less than 30 minutes since he had called in the order before he left. Cordelia warmed up Angels glass of blood along with one for Hunter and Spike. Everyone but Angel was watching Cordelia as she watched Angel spoon some of his warmed up blood onto the roast beef sub. They could see that she was almost salivating as she watched him. They all finished their sandwiches then and Angel finished off his glass of blood.

"How are you feeling Cordelia? Has Kathleen started moving a lot now that your in your 3rd trimester?" Dr. Thompson asked as he got up and poured himself some more coffee.

"Not to bad now that I've given control of the hotel over to Fred. I was getting pretty tired. And as for Kathleen, the little brat is moving around so much that sometimes I think she is playing basketball in there. Ow! Like now. It felt like she bit me or something."

"Lets go see her on the sonnagram." Hunter said. They all followed Hunter and Cordelia into the exam room. Hunter put some gel on Cordelia's stomach so that the scanner could easily slide over her skin. Spike turned the lights out and went over to the bed. Hunter found Kathleen right away. They could see that she had her mouth up against the inside of her small prison. She appeared to be sucking on something. "Angel come over here please?" Hunter called to him. Even though he couldn't see the monitor he could touch Cordelia's stomach and communicate to Kathleen.

"Spike prepare a needle and syringe to extract some of the amniotic fluid." When Spike was ready Hunter told Angel to put his hand on Cordelia's stomach and on the opposite side of where Kathleen was at that moment. When she pulled away from the spot she was in Hunter told Spike to withdraw the fluid in the exact same spot that Kathleen just vacated. After applying a topical anesthetic Spike put the needle in as he watched the monitor carefully to make sure that he didn't touch Kathleen. He withdrew some fluid and pulled the needle out. "Okay Angel remove your hand. Cordelia I want you to think of fixing Angel a glass of blood and watching him spoon some of it onto his sandwich." Cordelia concentrated and within a few moments Kathleen went back to where she was before and put her mouth back to the same spot. They had all seen what they wanted to see now.

"Angel put your hand back on Cordelia's stomach and tell your daughter no, that she is not to do that. She'll know what you mean. Try to put it into a picture like command. Remember that she doesn't understand words but she should be able to understand it if you give her a picture of pulling her away from the inside of the uterus then just say no." Angel did as Hunter instructed. It took a few minutes but they saw Kathleen move away from the inside wall of the uterus.

Hunter took some paper towel and cleaned Cordelia's stomach off and pulled the top of her pants up and her blouse down. "You can get up now Cordelia." Hunter said as she cleaned off the scanner.

Angel helped Cordelia down and they went back to the kitchen along with Spike. Hunter and Dr. Martin went with Dr. Thompson to the room next to the kitchen where they had a small lab set up. They checked the amniotic fluid in their where they had better lighting. They could easily see that their was blood in the fluid. Not mixed in with the regular fluid but pockets of it as though it had just been introduced into it.

"I believe we now have evidence to support my theory." Hunter said to the other two doctors. "Lets go and tell them what their little girl is doing to her mommy."

The doctors all took seats around the table with Cordelia, Angel, and Spike.

"Okay Angel and Cordelia we have found out why your anemic. Your daughter is feeding off of you Cordelia. She is responding to your craving for the blood that you see Angel drinking. Now this doesn't mean that your daughter is taking after her father it just means that she has found a way to get what you are craving. She is taking blood from you by sucking on the inside of the uterine wall. I would guess that somehow by repeatedly trying to get to blood she has created a nipple like break in the uterine wall and is extracting blood by sucking on that nipple. Now when I told Angel to try and stop his daughter he was successful, but you can try to avoid this by not looking at Angel when he is drinking his meal and letting someone else fix it for him. Angel don't dunk your sandwiches in the blood in front of Cordelia. In fact don't do it at all because she will know what you are doing when you turn away from her blood."

"How did you know what was happening?" Dr. Thompson asked Hunter.

"Angel is not the first Vampire to fall in love with a human woman and father a child. Over a thousand years ago a male Vampire came to me and explained what was happening to his wife. I hadn't thought about them until tonight when Cordelia started having problems. It took me a lot longer to figure out what was happening back then. When I did figure it out I told them the same thing that I am telling Angel and Cordelia. It took the woman a little while to get her craving under control but she was okay after that and she had a normal human baby boy."

"Now that, that mystery has been solved we had better get back to the hotel. We have to get ready to go to Sunnydale tomorrow and I am sure that Cordelia is tired." Dr. Martin said as she got up. Everyone else got up also.

"Give me the keys Dr. Martin I'll drive." Spike held his hands out for the keys. "What's the matter Spike have you had a sample of her driving?" Dr. Thompson asked Spike as they walked out and he turned the lights out. "Yes and I can say in all honesty that it will be the last time. She drives like a maniac. I had to check my shorts when we got here." They were all laughing as they left the building.

Spike directed Angel and Cordelia to the back seat of the car and Dr. Martin sat up front with Spike. Hunter rode with Dr. Thompson since she was going to spend the night with him. Before they left Angel called out to Hunter. "Mikalab can you come here for a moment please?" Hunter came over to Angel.

Angel reached out for her hand and Hunter took it. "Mikalab are you going to stay with Mike for awhile?" "Yes I am going to help him in his practice for a few weeks. Then I'll be coming home. I have to work with Willow to create a license to practice medicine before I can work with Mike for any length of time. When you don't grow old you have to pick up and leave every so often and that means creating a new persona to attach a license to. If Spike wants to go all the way in the practice of medicine then he will have to do the same thing."

"Don't forget what I said Mikalab, become friends first. The friendship will sustain your love when the hard times come. When the hotel is done we will be back and your welcome to come and stay with us for as long as you want. We'll have lots of people for you to take care of."

"Thank you Angel. When I come home I want to have a long talk with you and Dr. Martin. Good bye everyone I'll see you in 3 weeks." Hunter returned to Mikes car then every one yelled goodbye.

"She sure is a lot more friendly then she was when she was taking care of you." Cordelia said as she laid down and put her head on Angels lap. Angel covered her with the blanket that he kept in the back. "Don't you remember how I was when we first met. I don't think I even smiled until we started working together. Then I rarely even let you know that you made me smile. I don't think I started to lighten up, as you call it, until we admitted that we loved each other. So my best guess is that she is in love with Dr. Mike Thompson." "No duh!" Cordelia said. That was when he started tickling her. She was laughing so hard that she could barely cry out "Uncle, uncle." "That's better." Angel said, then he lifted her up so he could give her a kiss. "Now take a nap so that we can learn to discipline your daughter later." Cordelia sat up. "My daughter, why is she my daughter all of a sudden. Just because she is reacting to my cravings in such a way that isn't exactly normal all of a sudden she is my daughter. Let's not forget who helped me to create our little love muffin." Dr. Martin was thinking that if Angel answered with anything other than an apology he was going to be sleeping on the proverbial couch.

"I'm sorry Cordelia I didn't mean for it to come out like that. Please forgive me?" Angel reached over for her hand until he found it then started to kiss it.

"Alright your forgiven, but don't forget Angel that they will be "our" children not yours or mine whenever they are bad or good. Do you agree?" "Yes dear." They were silent for the rest of the ride back to the hotel. Spike and Dr. Martin didn't say anything they just looked at each other and kept their silence.

Spike pulled up to the back of the hotel and let everyone out. Cordelia took Angels hand and put it on her shoulder. Without saying anything she went into the hotel. "Are you hungry for anything?" Cordelia asked Angel as she led him through the lobby. "No, thank you."

Cordelia led Angel into their bedroom. He could hear her undressing so that she could take a shower. Cordelia went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Angel sat for awhile just thinking. He could hear Cordelia starting the shower and getting in and closing it behind her.

After a few minutes Angel stood up and took his clothes off. He walked to the bathroom door slowly. He reached it without any problems. Then he pulled back and kicked the door open.

Angel walked over to the shower and opened it and walked in. He put out his hand and searched for Cordelia and found her in the corner. He grabbed onto her arms.

"Cordelia Chase-Martin we will not have locked doors between us. We will discuss the problem and solve them, then we will go to bed in peace and with nothing but love for each other

in our hearts. Don't ever forget what I have said Cordy and I want our children to learn the same thing. They will learn to solve their problems before they go to bed or they will have to answer to me. Do you understand?" "Yes Angel." "Now, why did you get so mad at me for saying such a simple thing?"

"Because my mother and father used to say the same thing. When I was a good girl and didn't bother them then my mother would say my daughter is a good girl. When I won trophies or first place ribbons for anything my father would say 'that's my girl'. But Angel they never loved me enough to go to any games or watch me perform with my horse. I had my two parents all during my childhood and teenage years Angel and the only time that they acknowledged me was when I did something good. But when I got in trouble then I was the other parents daughter. I don't want that to happen to our children Angel. I want them to know that we both love them when they are bad or good." Cordelia was crying by now. Angel hugged her closely.

"I love you Cordelia and I am truly sorry for saying what I did. I will do my best never to say anything like that again. I would never knowingly hurt you." Angel kissed her then and held her close to him. They finished taking a bath then and went to bed. Dr. Martin went to Spike and Buffy's bedroom door and lightly knocked on it. Spike answered it. "Can you tell if everything is okay with them? I heard a loud noise a while ago."

"Apparently Cordelia went into the bathroom and locked the door. A few minutes later Angel knocked it down and they discussed their problem. He told her 'Cordelia Chase-Martin we will not have locked doors between us. We will discuss the problem and solve them and then we will go to bed in peace with nothing but love for each other in our hearts, but I won't allow you to put locked doors between us.' It's been quiet since then. I think they are okay now though." "Thanks Spike, goodnight."

"The next day everyone was up early to pack and put away the last of the items that they were either going to take with them or place in boxes in the basement. At breakfast Dr. Martin noticed that Angel didn't have any blood with his breakfast but later she saw him making a glass for himself. "Your getting pretty good at doing things for yourself." "Yeah, Hunter told me what to do in order to make my own drink since Cordelia couldn't do it anymore while she is pregnant." Angel said as he continued to make his drink.

"How did things go last night if you don't mind my asking?" Dr. Martin had come in to get herself some more coffee. "We put our problem to rest and went to bed peacefully." "That's good Angel. It's better if a couple always tries to solve their problems before they go to bed. Otherwise they will wake up with them and they tend to hang around longer and get bigger then what they originally were." "That is one thing that I remember about my parents. They always solved their problems before they went to bed." Angel said as he drank his blood.

"Have you decided how you are going to hold the meeting with Johnson and Morgan?" Dr. Martin asked. Just then Wesley walked into the kitchen to get some more tea. "Am I interrupting something?" "No, Dr. Martin was just asking me how I was going to handle the meeting between Johnson and Morgan. I was just about to tell her that I have discussed it with you and Gunn. But we haven't decided yet. Have you had any ideas since our last discussion?" Angel asked Wesley.

"I've been thinking about it and I put it to Gunn to see what he thought about it. Let's tell them to arrive at David Nesbits building in downtown L.A.. He has a landing port on top of his building. We will tell them that they will be given the location for them to land when they are in the air. Then one of David's helicopters will land after the other two have left and pick them up and deliver them to Sunnydale. Johnson will have to keep his guards down to 2 instead of 3. The reason for that is that their just isn't any room. The men will then be returned in the same way. I also want to change the location of the meeting. I would like to have it at Giles store. We will have too many precious treasures at the mansion." Wesley finally finished with his plans and his tea.

"What does Gunn think about this?" "He agrees that we should do it like this. I've contacted

Giles and he agrees that it's safer at his store where it's more public. Of course David is more than willing to help us." "Okay it sounds good to me also. Would you make the call to Morgan and Johnson and tell them about the change in days?" "Yes, I'll do that right now. I believe tomorrow would be a good time. I thought 12 noon would be best. Giles says that they have more people come into his shop at that time which is most peoples lunch break." "Good, what time will we leave for Sunnydale." "As soon as it gets dark which is about 5:30 these days." "Okay that all sounds good to me." Angel left then without asking for any ones help. He found his way to the stairs and only stumbled once.

When Angel left Dr. Martin looked at Wesley in surprise. "Angel is truly a remarkable man. When he makes mistakes or has faults they are whoppers. But his ability to correct himself and to learn is nothing short of phenomenal. If St. Michael is thinking the same way I am then I would say that Angel will be given his sight back sooner then expected." Dr. Martin left the kitchen then and went to the clinic to pack everything and lock up all drugs so that they could be taken with them in a refrigerated ice box. She was taking most of the instruments also. Everything else was to be packed and stored downstairs or pushed to the side. Of course Fred had already packed away her most prized possession. 'Fred's Microscope' as it had come to be known.

By 5:30 all those that were leaving had their bags packed and sitting downstairs. Wesley was going to take the refrigerator in his SUV along with Dr. Martin, Connor and of course Fred. Spike was driving Angels car with Buffy, Angel and Cordelia. Gunn had been gone all afternoon but pulled up just in time for them to leave. At first they didn't know who it was until he got out of the truck.

"Hey, Gunn has a brand new truck." Conner called out to his Dad. Everyone came over to look at it. They couldn't see it very well because the sun was already going down.

"What did you get?" Angel asked since he couldn't see.

"It's a Dodge ram. Fully loaded, along with a roll bar, lights on the roll bar, and it's a 4 wheel drive. And best of all it's black. The front also has a special protective grill."

"Well it looks like you got this just in time. You can carry all of the suitcases." Wesley said. The men started loading the boxes and as many suitcases as the back would hold. Wesley took the rest in his SUV. Xander was going to be the only one left at the hotel so they all waved good bye then took off for Sunnydale for the next 2 to 3 months. Wesley had given him access to enough money so that he could hire as many men as it took to complete the renovation as fast as possible.

* * *

TBC.................................


	11. Chapter 11

The Gift

Chapter 11

The gang finally arrived at the mansion at 8:30. Spike unloaded Angel and Cordelia and grabbed Buffy's and his suitcases. They were anxious to get home after being away for so long. Buffy hadn't told anyone at home yet about her pregnancy and she was anxious to tell Willow, Dawn and Tara. Spike assured Angel that he would return his car to him in one piece tomorrow morning.

Willow had made sure that everything was turned on and a cleaning crew had come in to dust and clean everything. She had gone shopping for food that afternoon so the kitchen was full. Cordelia had always bought more drinks then they could consume during their short stays so they usually had drinks of various types stacked up in the pantry. They had a separate refrigerator for all of the drinks and containers of blood for Angel and Willow had stocked that refrigerator as well.

The ladies didn't want to cook tonight so they had stopped at the local Chinese restaurant and were bringing dinner home with them. The first thing they did when they went in was to start a fire in the fireplace. Gunn pulled the coffee table over to the couch and they either sat on the floor or sat on the couch in front of the fireplace and ate their dinner. When they were done they all just sat back and relaxed.

"How are we going to transport all those men tomorrow Wesley?" Angel asked.

"I am going to call for a one of those long Limousines tomorrow morning. Those guys are used to traveling in luxury so I don't want to disappoint them. Giles said that he would make sure that everything would be ready for us." "Did you have a problem when you told them that we were moving up the date of the meeting to Wednesday?" "No, Johnson took a while to answer me but then said okay. He also understands that he can only bring 2 guards instead of 3."

"Since this is the first time that you're here Mom, I have to tell you that this house doesn't have any central heating and it does tend to be cold at night and in the morning. Tomorrow you ladies can go shopping for some propane or electric heaters for the bedrooms if you want but all of the bedrooms do have fireplaces. If you don't mind Fred would you show Dr. Martin where her bedroom is and where everything else is as well. If you want to Mom you can come and use our bathroom tomorrow morning because yours is going to be rather cold. The master bedroom and bathroom is the only room that has a propane heater already so it will be warm. When I bought this place it didn't occur to me that I needed heating in here since I don't feel the cold."

When Angel was through Cordelia spoke up. "Angel, Willow told me that she already bought propane heaters for the other bedrooms and they are set up and are ready to be started. Connor do you know how to start the propane heaters?" "Yeah Angel showed me how to start the one in your bedroom the last time we were here. Would you like me to start yours?" "Yes I would sure appreciate it. Thank you." Connor got up then and went into the master bedroom and started the heater. When he came out he asked everyone else if they would like him to start theirs also. Wesley and Fred raised their hands. As Connor ran up the stairs they yelled a "Thanks Connor."

Gunn got up and went to the TV and started up one of the Play Station 2 games. When Connor came down he went over to the couch and joined Gunn. Fred elbowed Wesley. "We have to bring the suitcases and boxes in first before they start playing those games or we'll never get them away from there." Wesley started for the doors. "Common men we have to bring the suitcases and boxes in." Gunn and Connor joined Wesley at the door. Common men the temporary queen of the manor has spoken. They started to bring everything in from Gunns truck and Wesley's SUV. Where as Connor and Gunn had one large duffel bag each Fred and Cordelia had several suitcases each for just themselves and one large suitcase for their husbands. Dr. Martin had only 2 suitcases and one large box that contained all of her things that she wanted to bring from the clinic. The men didn't know it but the women intended to go out while they are here. They were even going to try to get the men to take them to either Las Vegas or Reno Nevada.

Angel helped where he could but without sight he was kind of helpless in this situation. Just as they were through bringing all of the boxes in Cordelia had a vision of 2 young girls being attacked by 4 vampires over by the Bronz which was the local teenager hangout. Wesley called Spike and told him about the attack. Spike said he would meet him over at the Bronz in 10 minutes.

Wesley and Connor jumped into the back of Gunn's truck and they took off. Angel's arm was shaking again. Dr. Martin had finally figured it out that he did that when he was experiencing stress. He obviously wished that he could go with them.

Angel sat down on the couch. "How much longer is this going to go on Mom?" "I don't know Angel. I think that you have been doing very well but apparently God has more for you to learn. All you can do is ask St. Michael to help you Angel." She sat on the coffee table across from him and held his hands in hers. "This is hard for you isn't it? Being left behind that is." "Yeah, even Angelus was trying to give me back my sight. I saw a few flashes of light but then the darkness clamped down hard after that. Everything is completely black." Dr. Martin hugged him. He had started to shed a few blood red tears.

Angel straightened up then and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I think that's enough of feeling sorry for myself for now. Since I can't help you I guess I'll get my drink and go to bed. But I need someone to tell me how things are set up first."

"Come on Angel and I'll show you where every thing is and how it will be kept just for you." Fred said as she took Angels hand and guided him to the kitchen. She warmed up a glass of blood for him and as she did it she told him exactly where everything was so that he could add cinnamon in the morning and chili powder at night. "Thank you Fred." He drank the contents of his glass then rinsed it out and put it in the dishwasher along with the other dishes from their dinner.

Fred reached out her hand and stopped Angel from leaving. "Angel everything will be okay. All you have to do is have faith. You're a strong man Angel. Your strong physically and your strong in here." Fred pointed to his heart.

"That's what everyone tells me but I am so tired of being strong Fred. It's why I have so willingly given up command to Wesley. It's why I have put so much effort into learning how to share the responsibility for everything." Angel sank to the floor and just put his head down. "Would you get Dr. Martin please Fred." Fred left to get Dr. Martin.

Dr. Martin came back with Fred. She found Angel still on the kitchen floor. "What's wrong Angel?" "Would you check on Cordelia to see if she is suffering from depression. I think I might be picking it up from her. Because right now I feel like walking out into the sunlight as soon as it comes up."

Dr. Martin went to Cordelia and Fred stayed with Angel. She found Cordelia in her bed. She was crying and holding on to her Teddy Bear that she had brought with her. Dr. Martin came and sat on the bed next to her and pushed the hair out of her eyes. "What's the matter Cordelia. Is it just one of those pregnancy depressions." "Yeah, I guess so. You know most of what is happening to me doesn't really bother me that much. It's just part of what it takes to bring a new life into the world. But the depression Mom, the depression is the worst part. Sometimes I just want to just close my eyes and not open them again. How am I supposed to deal with it. Do you know that I have had to put Teddy in the dryer twice already because he is so loaded with my tears. Why do we have to put up with the depression Mom, why?" Dr. Martin pulled her up into her arms and just held onto her and rocked her.

"I don't know why we have to go through so much in order to bring forth life, but we do. I could give you all of the medical reasons for it but it still doesn't tell us why we have to go through this. All we can do is hug our Teddy Bears and bear down until it passes. When I was pregnant I would find things to do. I would work and keep my hands and mind busy until it passes. This is the best advice that I can give you. Now I want you to get up and you are going to go into the bathroom and put a cold cloth on your eyes and then you are going to show me how to play the games on the TV. I'll be waiting for you at the couch. Don't be to long."

Dr. Martin left then and went back to Angel. He was sitting up straight now. "How are you feeling now Angel?" "A little better. How was Cordelia?" "Well, she was experiencing a deep depression but I had a talk with her. I told her to keep herself busy when she was depressed. I told her that I wanted her to teach me how to play the game on the TV that Gunn and Connor were playing. Common Angel get up from the floor your going to freeze your gonads off." "Nope, never happen, I've had to hide in freezing water too many times and as you know they are still functional." Angel told Dr. Martin as he got up and he put his arm around her shoulder and they walked back to the living room and the couch where Cordelia was sitting and waiting for Dr. Martin. They went over to the couch and sat down on either side of her.

Angel sat next to his wife and reached out for her hand. "Cordelia I need for you to do something very important for me. When you feel the depression coming on I need for you to tell me okay? Or at least tell Wesley, Gunn or Connor." "Sure Angel did you pick up on it this time?" "Yes and it hit me pretty hard. If it had been day time I would have walked out into the sunlight. That is why I need for you to tell someone when you feel it coming on. I need one of the men to chain me up right away if it happens in the daytime. When Wesley comes back I'll talk to him about it and well put the chains over the lights that are by the fireplace. It's where Buffy chained me up when I came back from the hell dimension and I was acting like an animal."

Cordelia hugged Angel. "My poor baby. Like we have said before, men just aren't made to suffer these things. You take everything harder than I do and it's harder for you to endure it. I'll have to teach you to play tomorrow Mom. I'm going to take care of my husband tonight. Good night." "Good night you two." Dr. Martin knew by the looks on their faces that the crises was over for now and Angels tour of duty in Dry Dock was over for tonight.

One hour later the men came back from their encounter with the Vampires.

"You can't tell me that it took 4 men all this time to take care of 2 Vampires." Fred said when they came back. Wesley came over and gave her a kiss. "Willow and Spike showed us where they usually go after an encounter with some vampires or demons." "And where is that?" Fred was ticked off because Dr. Martin and her were having to drag the suitcases upstairs by themselves and put the clothes away. They also took care of the drugs that Dr. Martin had brought with her. They had been worried about getting those into the refrigerator and under lock and key. Willow had purchased a small refrigerator that could be locked and was in the basement where the doors could be locked.

"We went to have an ice cream cone." Wesley said. "Okay I forgive you." Fred said as she picked up another small suitcase that had to be taken upstairs. Wesley took it from her. "Are their anymore that have to go up. "No, Connor and Gunn can take up their duffel bags. Neither Dr. Martin or I could lift up the bags. Angel and Cordelia have gone to bed so the last one down here can lock up and turn the lights off. Dr. Martin went to her room also. Goodnight Connor and Gunn. Don't make too much noise if your going to stay down here for awhile. Don't forget that Angel and Cordelia's room is right over there." Fred pointed to the doorway that was next to the fireplace. Then Wesley and Fred went upstairs.

"Want a sandwich Gunn?" "Yeah that sounds good. Let's see what we got." Connor and Gunn went into the kitchen and made themselves sandwiches. Connor poured himself a glass of milk and Gunn took a beer. They each took their sandwiches to their bedrooms and said goodnight to each other. They had all had a busy day.

The next morning Wesley, Gunn and Connor got up early. Angel was already up and warming up his glass of blood when they entered the kitchen. They were a little loud when they came into the kitchen. "Lets keep it down guys, Cordelia is still sleeping."

"Why, did you wear her out last night?" Wesley asked as he started the coffee.

"No she doesn't need to much activity to wear herself out. She tried giving me a good time but she tired out real fast. I guess it's going to take her awhile before her blood supply comes back to a more normal level. Kathleen might have been having a snack again." Angel said as he sat down to drink his blood.

"What do you mean Kathleen might have been having a snack again?" Connor asked. "When our 3 doctors took Cordelia and I to Dr. Thompson's we unwittingly became the main characters in a play." Angel proceeded to tell them what they had found out was the reason for Cordelia becoming so dangerously anemic.

"I bet that scared you at first, seeing her drinking Cordelia's blood that is." Wesley said. The coffee was finally done and he poured some for everyone. Then sat down.

Dr. Martin came down and joined them after pouring some coffee for herself and Angel.

"Wesley I am having another problem connected with Cordelia's pregnancy. She is experiencing bought's of depression that are deeper then they usually are. I am of course picking up on them now. If it wasn't for the fact that it happened at night I probably would be dust covering the roses in the back right now."

"Does it get that bad that you would consider suicide?" Wesley asked. He was very concerned about this problem, he knew how Angelus would feed Angel all he needed to make him take that step towards the sunlight.

"Yes it gets that bad. I don't know if it's because I have Angelus, who is always willing to add in his 2 cents, or if it is the fact that I experience everything Cordelia experiences only worse. Remember how I would have a headache after a bought of morning sickness and she was fine?"

"Yes, back then we thought it was pretty funny but now it's not so funny that you experience everything she does. Well what do you want to do about it? Lock you up in the basement?" Wesley was leaving this up to Angel as to what he wanted them to do to prevent him from committing suicide.

"When I came back from the hell dimension Buffy chained me up to the light fixture that is beside the fireplace. I want you to get those chains and attach them to the ring that is in that light fixture. I put the ring in there myself after I was better. The ring is attached to a pipe that goes through the cement wall and is kept in place by a large steel plate that is on the other side of the wall. I don't think that even I could pull that out of the wall. I've talked to Cordelia and I told her what the problem was. She will try to anticipate the bought of depression coming on and warn me or one of you. Chain me up when she tells you what is happening. Dr. Martin gave her a suggestion as to what to do to try to get through it. According to Dr. Martin there is no way to know how long she will be going through this."

"Was last night the first time you experienced this?" Gunn asked. "It's not the first time I picked up on her depression but it's the first time it was that bad. Now that we have that out of the way what time are you going to go over to the store?"

Wesley answered with the whole schedule for the morning. "Spike will come and get you at 11 o'clock and take you to the side entrance of the store. Then Giles will park your car near by. He will then return to the shop and give Anya the rest of the day off and Dawn will take over. Anya is still having problems with saying inappropriate things at the wrong time. I will pick up Morgan and Johnson at the airport Limousine at 12 noon and come straight here. I've also asked Hunter to help us out for today. Johnson won't know that she is a Vampire but of course Morgan and Bobby will."

"What will Connor and Gunn be doing?" Angel asked. While the men were talking Dr. Martin started to make breakfast for everyone. She had a loaf of French Toast on the griddle and a dozen eggs in a bowl waiting to be made into scrambled eggs.

"Connor and Gunn will be doing what they do best. They are going to be working at surveillance. They will be watching to make sure that Johnson doesn't have more men then he is supposed to have. If he does then they'll take care of them one by one. They will just be detained and released when the meeting is over. Willow and Tara will be coming over to the Mansion with Spike when he comes to pick you up. Willow will be placing a protection spell on the Mansion so that no one will be able to come in or leave until we get back."

"You've done an excellent job Wesley. I approve of all of your plans." Angel hesitated for a few minutes while he thought of what he would say next. Wesley could tell that he wanted to say something but was having a problem with coming up with the right words so he waited patiently. Dr. Martin was serving the French Toast and scrambled eggs in the meantime.

"I want you to know that I talked to Morgan about how he runs his business. I noticed that he often states that he will make a decision about something after he discusses it with his people. I asked him why he does that instead of just making a decision or planning something himself. He said that he used to do things where he would make the decisions alone and make a plan of action by himself. He said that Marissa would often tell him, after his plan had failed, that he should meet with his men and discuss the problem because they might have better ideas. He said after he started meeting with his top guards that things started getting better. Planned battles had a better turnout and business started getting better. I want to start doing the same thing. I am learning what my Boss wants me to learn but slowly." Angel paused for a few minutes. He was trying to think of how to say what he wanted to say.

"You all know how stubborn I am and how long it takes for me to let go of something. I think though that most of all I want to set a good example for Connor. I think that I have to look at every thing that I do from now on so that I can set a good example for all of our children. Connor I want you to tell me or ask me why I am doing something that is contrary to what you see others do or what you are learning in school as to what is right or wrong. I can only say that I need your help in learning how to be a parent. You will be my test subject and your brothers and sister will be the ones that benefit from it." Everyone including Connor laughed.

"I am very proud of you Angel. Now lets eat before everything gets cold." Dr. Martin told everyone.

Cordelia came in followed by Fred. "Why didn't you wake us guys." Cordelia said as she warmed up some French Toast and scrambled eggs in the microwave for both her and Fred. They sat down and ate their breakfast along with everyone else.

"Wesley was giving me the schedule of events today. You, Fred and Mom will be staying here and Willow and Tara will be coming over when Spike picks me up at 11 this morning. When everyone else is out of the Mansion Willow will put a protection spell on the place so that no one can come in or out until we return." Angel said it in such a way that he wanted to make sure that Cordelia would understand that their was no playing around with this.

"Are you insinuating sir that I may disobey you and cause you problems." Cordelia asked in mocked surprise as though she would never do such a thing. Angel turned his head towards Wesley. It was Angels turn to say in unison with Wesley. "Ha!" They all cracked up at that.

"Alright I'll admit that on OCCASION I have gone against what I was instructed to do. In my own defense though I can only say that it is from to much close association with you and Buffy."

"I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole because I know it's the truth. We were rebels. Although I must say, especially since Buffy isn't here to defend herself, that she is the one that contaminated me. I was a nice obedient guy until I met her." That remark from Angel was so outrageous that everyone bundled up their napkins and threw it at Angel.

They all got up from the table then and helped clean up the kitchen. Wesley went down stairs to look for the chains that Angel thought might be here. He found them on the wall farthest from the stairs. They had cobwebs all over them but he was easily able to get rid of them by using a dust pan brush. He found them to be rather heavy but he was able to take them off of the hook and took them upstairs. Angel heard the clanking of the metal rings against each other and he knew what Wesley was doing. Gunn and Connor helped him to put it through the ring under the light fixture. They evened the ends out then let it just hang. Everyone just stared at them. Every one was thinking the same thing. These chains would play a part in deciding if Angel lived or died.

Spike, Willow, and Tara knocked on the door. "Come in Spike." Angel answered. Spike opened the door for Willow and Tara then stepped back. Willow headed for Cordelia to give her a hug and kiss in greeting. Tara did the same. They were both amazed at how big she was getting.

"Thanks girls for pointing that out." Cordelia said with an added pout to her lips. Of course Willow felt bad and hugged her again and said "Oh but it's a good big Cordelia." Willow bent down and addressed her stomach. "Hello Kathleen this is your Aunty Willow." They laughed.

"Do you want to really talk to her Willow?" Cordelia asked. "What do you mean really talk to her?" "Angel has to start it then you can join in. Come sit by me on the couch." Willow did as Cordelia instructed. Then Angel came over and sat on the other side of Cordelia. He didn't need any help to find his way since he was quickly memorizing the layout of the furniture. Angel reached out his left hand and Cordelia took it and put it on her stomach. "Angel closed his eyes and concentrated on his daughter." Kathleen was getting big enough so that you could see her moving around inside of Cordelia. She was so used to her father communicating with her that she immediately moved to put her head under his hand. "Give me your hand Willow." Willow gave Cordelia her hand. "Think good and loving thoughts Willow. Don't forget that she doesn't understand words but she can understand pictures in your mind that you send to her." Cordelia put Willows hand on her stomach close to where Angels hand was. Willow closed her eyes and tilted her head back. You could see Kathleen go to Willows hand without hesitation. She put her head under Willows hand and didn't move for a good five minutes. Willow finally broke the link and removed her hand.

Angel removed his hand also then got up and gave Cordelia a kiss and hugged Willow. "Thank you Willow. She loved that. I have never felt her react so well to someone else." "Your welcome Angel. Kathleen has a beautiful mind."

"Lets go guys or will be late." Spike came to Angel, took his hand and put it around his arm.

The car was in an area against the house that was protected from the sun. Spike directed Angel to the car and opened the door for him. Once Angel was in Spike closed the door then went to the other side and climbed in. Within seconds they were on their way. A long limousine was waiting in the front for Wesley to take him to the airport. When he left Gunn and Connor climbed into Gunn's truck and they took off for downtown Sunnydale and the area around Giles store."

As soon as they left Willow set up the protection spell that would prevent anyone or anything from coming into the Mansion.

Angel and Spike reached Giles store in only 20 minutes. Giles had put on an awning at the back entrance especially for Spike so it was easy for them to get in. As planned Giles parked the car close by and then went back to the store.

"Anya you have been working so hard lately that I have decided to give you the rest of the day off. Go and have fun, go to the movies or shopping at the mall or just go home and watch cartoons if you want." Giles told Anya with as big a smile as he could produce.

"I know what this is about. You just don't want me here this afternoon because you have something going on don't you?" Giles knew it was useless to try anything else. So he decided to take the direct approach with her. Sometimes it was the easiest.

"Anya go home or I am going to dock you one days pay." That did it. Where money was concerned Anya was always very careful. Especially when it meant her bank account was going to be smaller next payday. Within seconds of Giles making that statement Anya had picked up her jacket and purse and was out the door.

Giles turned around and looked at Dawn. "Works every time." "You are a very tricky fellow Rupert Giles." "I haven't been Buffy's Watcher all this time without learning a thing or two. Lets go to the back before everyone gets here." Giles lead them to the back while Angel grabbed onto Spikes offered arm. "You know Sire we have to stop walking around like this. People are going to start thinking that we're a couple. You need to get yourself a blind persons stick or a seeing eye dog or something." After they walked into the back room Angel put his arm around Spikes neck and gave him a kiss on the mouth. "Oh Spiky I've always worshiped you from afar. You have such a cute tight little tush. Even Angelus told me he used to beat you all of the time because it turned him on." Angel said in a high pitched tone. Since Angel was stronger than him Spike couldn't get away.

"Eww don't do that." Spike said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Sorry Angel but your just not my type. Besides I don't think Buffy would want to share me with you."

Giles was watching this comedy. Get control of yourselves you two I think they're coming in now. Both Angel and Spike straightened themselves up. "Hey Giles did I get his lipstick off of me?" I am going to take both of you into the woodshed after were through if you don't start acting your age. Both Angel and Spike became all business when David Morgan and Bobby came through the door. "David?" "Yes Angel it's me and Bobby is with me."

"David and Bobby this is Rupert Giles, he is the owner of the store and Buffy's Watcher. Giles this is David Morgan and Bobby his guard." They all shook hands in greeting.

Wesley then came in the front door with Hunter, Stephen Johnson and 2 of his guards, one of which was Richards. They all immediately went to the back.

"Morgan." Johnson said. "Johnson." Morgan said with a nod.

"Well I guess these two know each other." Giles whispered to Spike. As Johnson walked in Buffy walked in the side door and went over to Spikes side.

Angel stepped over to Johnson and held his hand out to shake his hand. "I hope your short trip was a comfortable one Johnson. I would like to introduce you to Rupert Giles who was gracious enough to lend us his store for this meeting." Giles stepped forward to shake his hand but Johnson just looked at him but didn't shake his hand. Morgan stepped over to Johnson and whispered something in his ear. Johnson stepped forward then and shook Giles hand. "Thank you Mr. Giles for lending us the use of your store for our meeting. I apologize for my previous behavior. I didn't realize who you were." "That's quiet all right Mr. Johnson."

"Johnson this is Dr. William Summers a colleague of Dr. Martins whom you have already met

and this is his wife Buffy Summers. Please have a seat everyone. I am going to let my colleague Wesley Wyndom Price take care of you and more or less lead the meeting." Everyone sat down and made themselves comfortable. "Before we start I would like to show you a small arrangement of food and beverages over here if you or your men would like anything. Would you like some hot tea or coffee David or Mr. Johnson." Wesley asked everyone. Both David and Johnson declined as did their men.

"Lets get down to business Morgan. We all want to know what your new business is that you are fixing up the old hotel for. We know that it couldn't be for prostitution because no one goes through that much expense for just prostitution. We know that your putting extra padding in all of the rooms to soundproof them. We also know about all of the expensive furniture and small bars and whirlpools that your putting in. We are hearing all kinds of rumors about what kind of business your starting. Even the big boys in Chicago are giving me calls and questioning me on what your doing."

"Uh Wesley could we have the ladies leave us for a while. I think we will feel better if they aren't here." Morgan asked. Wesley got up and went to Spike and Angel. "Do you mind if the ladies leave." "They have to. If Cordelia finds out what we are showing she is going to kill me."

Angel told Wesley and the ladies. "Cordelia already knows." Buffy announced. "What does she know?" Angel asked. He wanted to make sure that what Buffy said Cordelia knows about is really what they are actually doing. "She knows that the film that they have is about your wedding night." "Oh. Well, I guess if they want to stay then they can stay if Spike doesn't mind. Do you want to stay Hunter?" Angel asked. "Yes, you have my curiosity getting the better of me now. You couldn't get an elephant from India to make me get out now. I would do anything to see you perform again." Hunter said as she smiled. Buffy and Hunter were about the same size so they looked quite funny among all the tall men towering over them.

"What about Buffy Spike." Wesley asked again. "You staying Luv?" "If Hunter gets to stay then I'm staying." Angel walked away and turned around and threw his hands up. "Why not, everyone else is watching it. Why don't we put it on television and watch Angel perform. Why David could use it as advertisement for his new business." Angel made his way back to a chair and just plopped down in it.

"Keep your eyes on Angel ladies. Cause your going to get to see him squirm like you've never seen him squirm before." Spike said as he laughed.

Wesley went back to Morgan. "They want to stay and see the film." "Sorry Angel I tried." Morgan shrugged.

"Okay Johnson, this tape contains the information you are seeking. To answer your question, yes I am starting a prostitution business, but it's a very special prostitution business. It is also one that only I can run because of the personnel that you need as employees. I promise you that once you see this you will understand why I am the only one that could run this business."

Spike pulled chairs up behind the couch for the ladies and himself. "Common guys make yourselves comfortable. Bring your chairs over." Spike was having a ball.

Wesley pulled the large television over and put the tape into the VCR. He then gave the remote control to David. David and Johnson were sitting on the couch side by side with Wesley. David started the tape. He fast forwarded to the spot that he wanted.

"Why are you skipping so much of the tape? Turn it back to the beginning. I want to see all of it." Johnson told David.

"I am truly sorry Angel but he won't believe me unless he sees all of the tape." Angel just mumbled something that not even Spike could understand. Morgan took the mumble as an okay.

He rewound the tape and restarted it from the beginning. Every ones eyes were glued to the screen and especially when Cordelia started repeating Angels name over and over again. When she finally screamed in her orgasm even the women were squirming. Buffy was practically clawing at Spike. Hunter was fanning herself. She looked at Buffy clawing at Spike. "Bobby, where is Bobby. I need Bobby right now."

Wesley turned around and looked at Buffy and Hunter when she called out for Bobby. "Ladies get control of yourself." Buffy stopped what she was doing and looked embarrassed.

Johnson stood up and immediately sat down again and crossed his legs.

"Johnson that is the new business. I am going to provide male Vampires to provide sex like that for human women. I am setting a high price though. I am charging $5,000 per night. If you human males start finding your wives are going to Los Angeles frequently and $5,000 charges appearing frequently on your credit cards then you'll know where their going. So besides the fact that you won't be able to get any Vampire to work for you I don't think you want your women to know about this. So my advice to you is to just leave and just tell the boys in Chicago that I am just going to be running a high priced Call Girl business."

"I don't think everyone will except that Morgan. These men will want something more than that. Besides what is so different from what Angel was doing and another man can do?"

"Johnson he was using things that only a Vampire can use. The lovemaking can be learned and used by any man but it takes a Vampire to take a woman to such heights of ecstasy."

Angel stood up and walked over to Johnson. His guards knew who and what Angel was. They stood up in preparation to come to his aid if needed. "Take it easy men, take it easy. Johnson what you saw me doing in the film was mixing my saliva with my wife's blood. Our saliva has properties in it that takes a woman to those higher planes of ecstasy. When you see me dipping my head towards her neck then that is when I am biting into her neck and drinking her blood. My saliva is also mixing with her blood and once again she reaches new heights of ecstacy except it's even higher because it's when she achieves orgasm also. I am sure that you will understand when I say that no mere mortal human male can do that."

"What makes you think that we can't make our own Vampires that will do what we want." Johnson asked Angel and Morgan.

"You can't do it because when a human is turned into a Vampire they more or less die and their soul leaves their body. A demon then moves in and takes control of the body. The new Vampire is now controlled by the demon and it's hungry for it's first kill. All they can think about is taking as many humans as possible until its hunger is satiated. For a long time afterward all they do is drink, kill and party. They are also very strong and they never grow older. We are immortal. My best advice to you Johnson is to do as Morgan said. Keep this to yourself and tell the rest what Morgan said. Because you can't win. Your dealing in a world that you know nothing about."

Johnson stood up then and signaled to his men. "Lets go." Everyone stood up then. "What are you going to do Johnson?" Morgan asked.

"I can't say Morgan. I am going to think about it and discuss it with my colleague. I'll get back with you by Friday." Johnson, Wesley, and his men left then by the side door. Hunter followed them then Morgan and Bobby.

Gunn and Connor came in from the front when they saw the Limo leave. They looked at everyone and saw that they were okay. They headed for the Buffet then and grabbed some food and drinks.

"Buffy what is wrong with you acting like a common trollop in front of everyone. Can't you keep your hands off of Spike for even an hour." Giles was angry at her for responding to the film as she did.

Buffy hadn't told Giles yet that she was pregnant.

"Don't get to angry with her Giles. Cordelia was always wanting sex when she was first pregnant also." Angel told Giles. He didn't know that Giles hadn't been told yet.

"That doesn't make any difference. As a Slayer she has to be careful how others see her. She isn't a child any.......more......you said Cordelia was always wanting sex when she was first pregnant..... also. Those were your exact words were they not?" It was just hitting him as to what Angel said.

Buffy approached Giles slowly. "Yes, that's what he said. I am 3 weeks pregnant. Rupert Giles you are going to be a grandfather. If you don't mind that is. You've been more of a father to me then my own biological father, and I want my children to have at least one Grandparent."

Giles took his glasses off and cleaned them. He couldn't hold himself back any longer. He turned to Buffy then and hugged her. "Of course I wouldn't mind. I love you Buffy as though you were my daughter. No father could possibly be more proud of their own daughter." When Giles let go of her he couldn't hide the tears. He let go of Buffy and walked over to Spike. "Congratulations Spike. Well done my boy, well done." He shook Spikes hand. "Do the others know?" "Yes we told them last night when we got home." Spike said. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"That was a pretty good show that you put on for Johnson." Spike told Buffy. "What show do you mean?" Buffy asked. "The show you put on for Johnson when we were watching the film. I thought you were going to rip my clothes off right in front of everyone and Hunter, I thought she was going to have a melt down. I wouldn't doubt it if she pulls Bobby into a room at the airport and attacks him. I just hope she remembers who she is in love with before she does anything." Spike said. Then he spotted the food. "I think I had better build up my strength, no telling how long Buffy is going to keep me in the basement this time. She is a sex animal as it is. No telling how she'll be after watching Angel and Cordelia." Spike kissed Buffy then went to make a sandwich.

"Angel do you want anything to eat or drink?" Giles asked him. "No I'm good. Thank you."

"Your not patrolling are you Buffy?" Giles asked Buffy. You could easily hear the true concern in his voice.

"No, I've been careful. Spike has been patrolling by himself."

Connor was eating his sandwich and listening along with Gunn. "I can stay here and help Spike."

"I don't think so!" Both Buffy and Spike said at the same time.

"Why not?" Connor asked as though his feelings were hurt.

"Because I've seen you looking at Dawn like I used to look at Buffy. I've seen you look at her like a man that's hungry and I don't mean for food." Spike said it to Connor in a way that told Connor 'I've got my eye on you.'

"Well then I guess I'll volunteer. I'll go back though when Cordelia is ready to pop. I'm sure everyone will want to be there when she does so I'll be there too and come back when Spike and Buffy does." Gunn said as he finished off his sandwich.

"Thanks Gunn we really appreciate it." Spike said.

"Lets go you 2 if your done yet?" Angel asked Buffy and Spike.

Spike shoved the last piece of sandwich into his mouth then got up. "Giles can you bring the car over to the side please?" Giles was day dreaming about his future grandchild and that he would have the opportunity to start her training from when she is little. "Giles can you bring the car around please?" Spike said a little louder. "Oh, yes I guess I can do that." Giles said as he went through the front door.

"Connor and Gunn did you see any of Johnson's men?" Angel asked as he got up and walked over to the middle of the room.

"No, it was quiet." Gunn answered.

Giles opened the side door and came in. "You ready?" "Yes, come on Angel lets take you home." Spike went over to Angel and gave him his arm then they went to the car. He got Angel in okay then he slid over into the drivers seat, then Buffy got in after him. They closed all of the windows so that they could block out as much of the sun as possible and headed home to the Mansion.

Angel pulled his cell phone out and gave it to Buffy. "Buffy would you dial the Mansion please?" "Sure Angel." Buffy took the phone and dialed Cordelia. The phone rang several times then Dr. Martin answered it.

"Hello, Martin residence." "Dr. Martin this is Buffy Angel wants to talk to Cordelia." "Buffy Cordelia can't come to the phone right now. She is having a real problem with her depression right now. You better get Angel home as fast as possible." "Okay, we should be there in about 10 minutes. Tell Willow to take down the protection spell." "Be careful Buffy and keep a close eye on Angel. Good bye."

"Angel how are you feeling?" Buffy asked him. "Bad, Cordelia must be experiencing the depression again. Come back here with me please." Buffy climbed over the seat and sat down beside Angel. She saw his arm starting to shake so she held onto it with her own.

"Willow should have the protection spell down by the time we get their. Why don't you put your head in my lap and hold onto me. I won't let you do anything that is dangerous for you Angel." Angel did as she suggested and put his arm around her waist. His head was against her stomach and he put his attention on listening to her.

In another 10 minutes Spike was pulling up to the Mansions driveway. Wesley was already there and waiting for them in the carport.

Spike pulled under the carport and got out. Angel sat up again and reached for Spikes hand. When he cleared the car Spike let go of him and turned to help Buffy out.

The warmth of the sun felt so inviting to Angel. Angelus told him that he might as well get used to the heat because he was going to be spending eternity in hell as punishment for all of the people he had killed. He started to walk towards that warmth. "Do it Angel, they won't miss you. Your blind and they are doing just fine by themselves. Just a few more steps and you'll end it all and I can go onto my next vampire."

Wesley saw Angel walking towards the sun just in time. He went after him and grabbed his arm just in time. "Angel come into the house now. I think your listening to Angelus to much."

Wesley guided him back into the house along with Buffy and Spike.

Spike hated to do it but along with Buffy he put the chains on Angel. When they were done he just laid down on the fireplace shelf. Buffy grabbed the blanket that was on the couch. Dr. Martin came out of Cordelia's room along with Willow and Tara.

"Oh my goodness, poor Angel. Does he have to be chained up like that?" Tara asked no one in particular.

"He told us to do it Tara." Wesley said. When he was waiting for Spike to help Buffy out of the back seat of the car we weren't watching him and he almost killed himself by walking into the sun light."

Dr. Martin was sitting next to Angel. He had his head in her lap. She had seen his arm shaking so she grabbed onto it.

"How is Cordelia?" Buffy asked Dr. Martin.

"She's doing better than him. Willow thinks the midwife might have something to give her so these fits of depression won't be so bad."

"Mom, talk to me mom. Talk to me so that I won't concentrate on just what Angelus is saying." Angels arm was shaking so much now that even though Dr. Martin held onto him he was making the chains shake. The noise they made were heard by Cordelia in the bedroom and she came out with Fred.

As Cordelia walked in Dr. Martin had an idea to make them both come out of this depression. "Cordelia come and sit here." Dr. Martin got up and Cordelia sat where she had been.

"Angel sit up and put your hand on Cordelia's stomach." She turned around to the rest "Okay I want everyone to sit down and be very quiet." Dr. Martin waited while everyone pulled a chair over.

"Cordelia and Angel I want you to join your minds with your daughters. Listen to my voice only." Dr. Martin waited until she saw Kathleen move over to Angels hand. "We will take a short walk into the future. Let your minds form the picture as I describe it to you. Kathleen is 5 years old, she is a very happy little girl because she has her Mommy and Daddy playing with her today. They are going swimming in the big swimming pool that is in the back of the Hyperion. Can you see her Cordelia and Angel. What does she look like Angel?"

"She looks like her mother when she was little. I know what Cordy looked like because of the pictures she has of herself when she was little. Kathleen has her long brown hair. Cordy has kept it long. Kathleen hasn't had her hair cut since she was born. Her skin is very white like fine porcelain. She is the light of my life and my world revolves around her."

"Yes she is a beautiful child. Just like the sisters said when they first saw you and Cordelia, 'Those two will make beautiful babies together.' Now lets go a little further towards the pool. The pool is accessed through an enclosed walk way that goes from the back of the Hyperion to the enclosed pool. Kathleen is running ahead of her Mommy and Daddy and wants to jump into the pool. She wants to show you how well she can swim now. Her brother has been teaching her how to swim every day when he comes back from school. The day before she learned how to swim under water and hold her breath. She is very proud of her new accomplishment. The doors are locked and she isn't tall enough to reach the latch that is high up on the door so she has to wait for her Daddy to open the door. 'Come on Daddy hurry up.' She says as she waits at the door. But Daddy is walking more slowly because Kathleen's Mommy is real big and can hardly walk so she has to hold onto Daddy's arm. Mommy said she is going to give Kathleen a Christmas present of 2 little brothers at the same time and Kathleen can hardly wait. You reach the door and unlock it. Kathleen runs and jumps into the pool. She is so proud of herself."

Dr. Martin had her eyes closed as she painted the story to Cordelia and Angel. She opened her eyes then and saw both of them smiling. She took it as a sign that the storm was over and they could relax now.

"Angel and Cordelia we are going to leave your daughter in the future now and we will come back to the present." She pulled Angels hand away from Cordelia and he opened his eyes. Cordelia opened her eyes also. She reached for Dr. Martin then and hugged her. "Thank you, that was a nice way to bring us out of the depression." Cordelia looked at Willow. "Can you call the midwife as soon as possible Willow. I don't want Angel and I to have to go through that again."

"Can you take these off now Wesley?" Angel held up his hands to emphasize the fact that the chains were still on. Wesley came over and unlocked the chains and removed them from around Angels wrists. "I think I had better go into town and check for padding for those."

"By the way Buffy when I had my head in your lap I was able to keep from listening to Angelus because I was listening to your baby's heart beat. It's real feint but I could hear it."

Angel said as he looked at Spike and Buffy.

Spike went over and kneeled down in front of Buffy and put his ear to her stomach. He listened for awhile then a grin broke out across his face and his eyes lit up. "I can hear it Buffy. I can hear our little girls heart beat." Spike stood up and kissed Buffy then hugged her close.

The next day Willow came over with a mixture of herbs from the midwife with instructions that said Cordelia was to take it as a tea and only when she felt the depression coming on.

During the next week they settled into a regular routine. Gunn and Connor helped Spike patrol Sunnydale at night while Buffy stayed at the Mansion. Wesley and Fred worked with Connor to prepare him for a GED test during the day.

Angel and Cordelia started their Lamaze classes on the Friday after they came to Sunnydale. Fore the next 3 weeks they didn't hear anything from Morgan or Johnson. On Monday of the fourth week Morgan called. Wesley answered the phone. After a minute they heard Wesley say 'Wait a minute Morgan everyone should hear this. Let me call everyone over to the phone'.

Wesley looked around for everyone. Connor had been studying with Fred so they were both at the table. Cordelia and Gunn were playing a video game in the Master bedroom so that they wouldn't disturb Connor. He also could hear Angel exercising downstairs in the Gym.

"Connor would you go and get Angel please and bring him over here." Wesley then went to get Cordelia and Gunn. "Fred would you get Dr. Martin and then come over here please." When they were all assemble he told everyone that Morgan was on the phone with some important information that they all needed to hear. Wesley then put the phone on the speaker so that everyone could hear.

"Go ahead with what you were saying Morgan everyone is listening."

"As I was saying, the rumor is that Johnson doesn't believe that he can't get any Vampires to work for him. He thinks that if he can make some of his own that they will do what he wants. I think he'll be coming after either Angel or Spike. I've already spoken to Hunter. So Hunter and Dr. Thompson will be staying with me for awhile. I can send some guards to help you if you need them."

"No I think we'll be okay Morgan. We have enough people over here to take care of things and even though Angel is blind he can still take care of himself. What I am concerned with is if they should capture one of us they will use us as a leverage against Angel or Spike to get them to do what they want. We'll talk about it over here though and I'll call you if we decide that we need more help. Thank you Morgan for the information. Good bye." Wesley took them off of the speaker then.

"You better call Buffy and Spike and tell them to get everyone and come over here so that we can talk about it." Angel said as he sat down at his favorite spot by the fireplace.

Wesley called Buffy and Spike and let them know what happened. They said they would gather everyone up and join them at the mansion as soon as they could.

"All we can do then is wait for them to get here. Connor can you go up to the roof and see if you can sense anyone around here that shouldn't be here?" Connor immediately started for the roof.

"I am going to go and take a shower." Angel said as he got up and carefully made his way over to the Master bedroom.

When he came out of the bedroom he had a pair of black jeans on along with a black long sleeved silk shirt. He approached Wesley. Even though Angel couldn't see he still had his heightened sense of smell and that ability brought him directly to a person.

"Have you heard from anyone yet?" "No not yet." Wesley said. "Would you take me to the kitchen please?" Angel asked Wesley. Wesley gave Angel his arm and they walked over to the kitchen. Angel pulled out a container of blood and proceeded to warm it up in a glass.

Wesley made some hot tea for himself and when his drink was done Angels was done also so they sat at the table in the kitchen. "I have a bad feeling about this Wesley. I think someone has been taken already. What am I going to do if they use this person against me or Spike to turn someone?" Angels arm was starting to shake again. He put his hand in his pocket to keep it from gaining attention. Wesley had noticed before that this always happened when Angel was under stress.

"That is going to be up to you Angel. I think though that if they present you with someone I would think that, that person would choose to become a Vampire. Tell them that they have to get you some animal blood so the new Vampire will have blood to drink when he wakes up or else he will take one of them. When we know that your gone we will send Connor to be with the supplier. When someone comes to buy the blood Connor can then follow them back and then call us to let us know where you are being kept. If you choose to kill them Angel make sure that it's as bloody as possible so that you can scare them into dropping this idea of making their own Vampires."

"Wesley would you ask Dr. Martin to come in here please then leave us alone." "Sure Angel."

Wesley got up then and took his tea with him. He went to Dr. Martin who was sitting with Cordelia.

"Dr. Martin Angel would like to see you in the kitchen." Dr. Martin got up from the couch and went into the kitchen.

Dr. Martin went and sat by Angel. "Wesley said you wanted to see me." "Yes, I have a problem and I have to come up with a solution." "Lets go out to the patio where we can be alone for awhile. People will want to come in here eventually." Dr. Martin took Angel by the hand and guided him to the back porch. The porch roof was large enough so that Angel was safe from the sun. Dr. Martin directed Angel to two chairs that were furthest from the sun and they sat down.

"You are worried about what you are going to do if you are taken and you have to decide whether to take a man's soul from him and make him a Vampire or let someone that you care about be hurt or possibly killed. Is that correct?" "Yes." Angel answered.

"Angel I once had a problem that was similar. I had a patient that was having difficulties in delivering her baby in a normal vaginal birth. I had to make a choice as to whether I should let the baby die or save the mother. The father and the family of the woman were telling me to sacrifice the baby and save the mother. All of the evidence told me that the baby was going to die anyway and that I should kill the baby and save the mother. But I just couldn't do it. So I decided to try and save both the mother and baby. I decided to let God control the whole thing. While the mother was being prepared for surgery I slipped into the hospital chapel and prayed the rosary. I asked God to guide me and if at all possible show me how to save both mother and child. When I was done I went into that room with the intention to deliver a live baby. I didn't think about the difficulties of the surgery I just put it out of my mind and did my best. It turns out that God did present me with the opportunity and I was able to save both. Lets pray the rosary together Angel and pray that God will guide you in doing what is best. Remember that St. Michael is with you always."

Dr. Martin and Angel proceeded to pray the Rosary and asked God for his guidance. Half way through she looked at Angel and noticed that his arm had stopped shaking. When they were done they went back into the house. Spike came in with Willow, Tara and Giles.

"Where is Buffy?" Cordelia asked. "She went to get Dawn." Willow answered as Tara and her went and sat on the couch next to Cordelia. Giles and Anya came in right behind them then Spike closed the door. The phone rang and Wesley picked it up.

"Hello, Martin residence." "Mr. Price?" "Yes." "May I speak to Angel please." "One moment please."

"Angel someone is asking for you. I think it's Johnson." Angel took the phone from Wesley.

"Hello this is Angel."

"Angel this is Johnson. We have Dawn Summers. Have someone take you to the outside of your gate in the front. Someone will be there to pick you up when they go back into the house."

"Why Dawn?" Angel asked.

"Because she was the easiest to grab."

The person on the other line hung up then. Angel turned to Wesley. "Johnson wants me to go and stand out in the front." Fortunately the sun was starting to go down so their wasn't a problem there. When Angel started for the door Wesley stopped him.

"Wait a minute Angel don't go yet." Wesley ran up to his room and brought down a briefcase. He put it on a table near by and opened it. He pulled out what looked like a button and put it in Angels jacket pocket.

"What is that?" Angel asked.

"It's a tracker. No matter where they take you we can track you with this. David gave it to me when I told him about Johnson kidnaping you and Dr. Martin."

"Great, just don't rescue me too soon. I intend to teach them a lesson like I did that actress that wanted me to turn her." Angel said as he felt for the button, as he referred to the tracker.

Wesley then started to take Angel outside to the gate. Spike grabbed Angels arm and stopped them at the door. "Don't let them do anything to her Angel. If I should sense any harm coming to her I am going to come in there and tear their throats out before they know what is happening. I won't care about the rule for us of not harming any humans. I won't care about anything including myself."

"Spike I know about your feelings for Dawn. Don't go all Vampire crazy on us and do something that you will regret for all eternity. When Buffy comes keep her here. Listen to Wesley when it comes time to make your move. We've already talked about what we are going to do. I want to make sure that they don't try this again. Don't forget about how many times you got yourself in trouble every time you went against what Angelus told you to do." Angel and Wesley left for the gate then.

Cordelia went to the door and called out to Angel. "Be careful Angel and come back to us soon." "Always." Angel said. Wesley then guided him to the other side of the gate and then went back to the Mansion. Within 5 minutes a van picked him up and took off.

Wesley watched from the front door until the van took Angel and left. He was pretty sure that it was Richard that had helped Angel into the van. He asked Spike if he saw Richard help Angel into the van. "Yeah that was Richard."

"I'm not positive Spike but I think Angel has plans for Richard." "Yeah I get that feeling too. Lets see if that tracker of David's is working. Spikes cell phone rang as they were checking where the van was going. "Hello." "Spike this is Buffy, I can't find Dawn. I've checked the house, the Bronze and her girlfriends home." "Buffy we know where she is. Come over to the Mansion and I'll explain." "Okay, I'll be their in a few seconds."

While they waited for Buffy to get to the Mansion they were following where they were taking Angel. The van was heading for warehouses that were down by the docks. Spike knew exactly which ones were empty so he had a fairly good idea as to where they had taken Angel.

When they reached the warehouse the van drove in and Richard helped Angel out and guided him to where Johnson was. Angel was concentrating on the smells in the warehouse. He could smell 10 distinctly different odors so he figured that their was 9 men plus Dawn. He could also smell pork blood. He knew when they were getting close to the center of the group of men because he could feel the body heat from them.

"Dawn, are you here?" "I'm over here Angel. They have me handcuffed to a pipe, I have to go to the bathroom, I'm thirsty, I'm hungry and these handcuffs are hurting too."

"Why don't you take her to the bathroom Johnson. I'm sure your big bad men can handle one teenage girl." Angel heard Johnson ordering someone to take her over to the bathroom that was in the office.

"Okay Angel I think you know what we want. I have a volunteer here that you can turn. All you have to do is turn this one man and from what I understand he can then Sire others." Johnson said as he called his volunteer to join him.

"Do you have any animal blood here Johnson? Because I'm hungry and your new vampire is going to be hungry also except he is going to want fresh human blood."

"Well take care of him after you turn him into a Vampire. We have some blood for you over here." Johnson said then turned to one of his men and told him to give the container to Angel. The man approached Angel carefully and put the container on the table that was in front of him."

"Come on now why are you afraid of me. I am just a poor blind Vampire." Richard picked up the container and put it in Angels hand. For some reason he wasn't afraid of him and Angel noticed this.

Angel put his game face on and drank the blood hungrily from the container. He let it drip down the side of his mouth and onto his clothes and on the floor. He then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He dramatized it as much as possible. The volunteer came forward towards Angel. He could sense the fear in him.

"Why are you afraid. I thought that you wanted this. What's your name boy and how old are you?" Angel continued to sip at the blood while questioning the volunteer.

"My name is Frank and I'm 27." "Come closer Frank. I can't see you but I can smell you. I can smell the fear in you. You know that fear always makes the victims blood taste sweeter. When you kill a woman you can really get some sweet stuff because it's so easy to scare them. You know one of the people that I turned was a young girl named Drusilla. At first I was going to just take her for a midnight snack but then her family just kind of presented themselves on a silver platter and I took it. I had fun that night. My Sire and I feasted that night. She just wanted the blood but I wanted some fun before the kill. So I tortured them while Drusilla watched. I raped the women before I killed them. I tell you I had it all that night. When I was done killing all of Drusilla's family I turned to her but she was in the corner of the living room just staring into space and babbling about something in the sky. I turned her that night. Fortunately most of the time she was easy to handle. But every once in awhile she would try to kill me. Especially when we were having sex. But that's the price we pay when we turn someone." Angel drank some more of the blood and kind of accidently spilled some on Frank. Angel could sense that Frank was just about ready to pee in his pants.

"Come on Frank take a sip of this animal blood so that you can get a taste of what is going to be your food for the rest of your days on this earth. Now of course it's going to taste different when it's human blood. Did you know that the first thing you will want when you wake up the first time will be human blood. I'll have to be their so that I can teach you how to kill efficiently. Maybe I'll have some myself. When I turn you it will be the first human blood I will have had in over 75 years. Here have a taste." Angel put it to Franks lips. Frank turned his head away and tried to push Angels hand away.

"What's the matter Frank don't you want it?" "No, get away from me I've changed my mind." Why Frank? Look I'll show you some of the things that you will gain. You'll be fast Frank. You'll be so fast that no one will be able to see you move." Angel went around the room collecting guns and then stopped and threw them on the floor in front of him. When the men saw this they all reached for their now absent guns.

"I thought you were blind Angel. How could you possibly do that?" Angel approached Johnson. "I am blind Johnson but I can smell you. Everyone has their own distinctive scent. I can even tell which one of you had sex before you came here. Given a little time I would be able to find the woman you had sex with. I am also far stronger then your strongest man. You can't win Johnson. Now let the girl go before I get real nasty.

Johnson himself went over to Dawn and took her handcuffs off. But instead of letting her go he grabbed her around the throat and put a knife to her neck. "Now lets see if you can be fast enough to stop me from cutting her throat. I brought you here so that you can make a Vampire for me. Now do it or before I leave this little girl will be dead and you'll have all the blood you want."

Angel moved so fast that Johnson could do nothing but slash out with his knife when he felt Dawn leaving his side. One of Johnson's men that still had a machine gun was so scared that he started to unload it by pointing it in a random pattern around the room. Angel had grabbed Dawn and shielded her with his body. After 6 bullets hit him he went down on top of Dawn. His last thought before he lost consciousness was still to protect Dawn. When the smoke cleared the man shooting could see that Johnson was dead along with 4 of his men including Frank.

Richards was still alive. When the shooting started he had ducked behind some boxes and didn't stick his head out until it stopped. He looked around and saw that Johnson and Frank were dead along with 4 more of his men. The rest took off when they saw that their boss was dead. Richards spotted Angel over on the floor while Dawn tried to get out from under him.

A few seconds later Spike broke in followed by Buffy and the A.I. team. They looked around the warehouse. "Dawn." Spike called out.

"I'm over here Spike, I'm over on the floor. Angels been shot." Dawn called out.

Spike came running over to her and Spike pulled Angel over and helped Dawn up and hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Then he handed her over to Buffy who did the same.

Wesley had gone over to Angel. His jacket was soaked with his blood. "Common Gunn lets get him home. Are you okay Dawn?" "Yes, Angel protected me with his own body. Is he going to be alright?" "Sure, you know Angel. As soon as we can get him to Dr. Martin she'll start patching him up and he'll be as good as new in a day or two." Wesley and Gunn picked Angel up and they each put one of his arms around their neck. They all left then. When they got to Angels car he started to come around. "Wesley?" "Yes Angel I'm right here." "Wesley would you check to see if Richards was hit, and if you can't find his body then call out to him and tell him that I want him to call or come to the Mansion. He most likely is afraid to come out." "Okay Angel."

Wesley went back into the warehouse and looked for Richards body and when he didn't find him he called out as Angel instructed then left and went back to the car. They all headed for the Mansion as soon as Wesley returned.

Buffy had called ahead to let them know that they had Dawn. She was okay but Angel had been shot and they were on their way home.

Spike drove into the gate first so they could take Angel out under the protection of the car port. In the usual California weather it had started to rain at night so it was pouring when they got there.

Gunn and Spike helped Angel out of the back of the car. He was able to walk now but still needed help. Dr. Martin was at the doors when they got there.

"Take him to his bed Spike." Dr. Martin told him. She went to the kitchen and took out the medical instruments that she had been sterilizing. She put them out on a tray that she had a white towel on then took them into the bedroom.

Spike had removed Angels jacket, shirt, and t-shirt and had already cleaned the blood up. Dr. Martin put the tray of surgical instruments down on the bed by Angel. Spike took the forceps from the tray and started to dig the bullets out one by one. When he came to the last 3 he had to cut his skin because Angel had already started to heal. Dr. Martin let Spike do everything himself and only had to advise him once.

Angel had been awake through the whole procedure. He had been through this many times before and in fact he had often taken bullets out himself when they were where he could reach them.

Spike placed bandages on those wounds that he had, had to cut open again to extract the bullets. He took his stethoscope out and listened to Angels lungs to make sure they were clear and none of the bullets had pierced them.

"Why don't you just rest for now Angel. I'll bring you a glass of blood in a few minutes."

Angel turned over on his back and closed his eyes for awhile when Spike left. He was asleep for only a few minutes when Spike returned with a mug of warm blood a pitcher of water and another glass.

Spike gently shook Angels shoulder to wake him up. When he was fully awake Spike helped him to sit up and then put some pillows behind him to support him in a sitting position then gave him his mug of blood. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Angel could tell that Spike wanted to say something.

"Uh Angel, I wanted to thank you for saving Dawn. I probably would have gone crazy if something had happened to her. She's like the little sister that I always wanted and never had. She looks up to me like a big brother I think. Before Buffy finally excepted me and I would be down in the dumps because of her rejection Dawn would always come and visit me and try to raise my spirits. She would often keep me company when no one wanted me around. Best of all Angel when Buffy and I argue she comes and advises me on how to get back into her good graces." Spike and Angel where laughing at that point. Spikes laughter turned into tears as he got on his knees and leaned against the bed. Angel put his hand on Spikes head.

"Your welcome Spike. I couldn't let my Childe lose his soul when he has gone through so much already to get it."

Spike fidgeted with his stethoscope then wiped his eyes with the back of his hand then stood up and said "Well that's that for that then, get some sleep now Angel. I'll send Cordelia in when I see her."

"Okay Dr. Summers." Spike just smiled at Angel and walked out. Angel then finished his mug of blood then laid back down. Cordelia and Buffy came in together then. Buffy went and sat on the bed next to Angel. She leaned over and gave him a big hug. "Thank you Angel. I hope that I never have to return the favor." She gave him a kiss then and left.

Cordelia closed the door after Buffy left then went to the bed and removed her clothes and laid down next to Angel. She pulled his head down so she could reach him and then Angel gave her a long and passionate kiss. He pulled back and lightly kissed her on her forehead, they laid back then and slept until the next morning.

The next morning Angel sat up and stretched. His muscles were sore from yesterday so he got up and stretched some more. He then removed his pants, shorts, socks, and then the bandages. He started out with some warm up exercises. Then push ups. It hurt at first because of the muscles being cut and pushed around into their unaccustomed positions. As he continued though they all fell into place again.

Cordelia had woke up from all of the noise he was making. She just scooted over to the side of the bed and laid on her side, supported her head with her right hand and just laid there watching him go through his exercises. Angel saw her when he got up to change his exercise. When he sat down and prepared to do sit ups he looked at her and said "Why don't you come and sit on my legs so that I can do sit ups?" "Okay, I won't have as good a view from there as I do from here but I guess I can do that for you." Cordelia had to slide down the side of the bed in order to get up by herself. She crawled over on her hands and knees and sat on Angels legs. He spread his legs a little so she could sit on the floor and her legs and thighs held down his legs as he started his sit ups.

Angel started to have his usual problem whenever he saw his pregnant wife in such an inviting position. With each sit up he counted her attributes:

15 .... Her beautiful breasts were starting to get a little larger.

16 .... They were like round globes. Firm and white.

17 .... Her hair fell down over her breasts in such a seductive way.

18 .... Her hair fell in ringlets down her shoulders and over her breasts.

19 .... He could see Kathleen moving up and closer to her mothers heart. It was as if she knew what her Daddy had in mind and wanted to get out of the way.

20 .... The more he thought about it the bigger and harder he got. By the time he reached sit up 25 he couldn't stand it any longer. He reached for her, turned her over and entered her from behind so that he wouldn't hurt Kathleen. When he was done he collapsed on the floor with Cordy next to him.

"You can see now can't you Angel?" "Yes I can. I just opened my eyes this morning and was able to see just as well as I did before the accident." Cordy reached up and kissed each of his eyes then his mouth just as gently as she had each of his eyes. "You must have been a good boy and a quick learner for Him to give you back your eye sight so quickly."

Cordelia rested her head on his chest and went to sleep. Angel pulled the blanket and quilt off of the bed and wrapped them around Cordy and himself. He kissed the top of her head then went to sleep. Whenever he had Cordy in his arms all of the cares and worries of the world were gone and everything was right with the world.

At 10 o'clock they were in the kitchen, the place was a mess and they could hear voices out on the patio. They quickly made their own breakfasts and took it out to the patio.

"Good morning everyone." Cordelia and Angel said as they put their plates on the table. Everyone replied with a good morning. Before sitting down Angel went over to the garden table and grabbed a pair of clippers and went to the side of the patio that had roses and was shaded from the direct rays of the sun. He cut one long stemmed white rose and a large pink rose with a bud attached to the same stem. He returned the clippers to the table then went to Dr. Martin and gave her the white rose and a kiss on the forehead. He returned then to Cordelia and gave her the pink rose along with a kiss also. Angel sat down then and started to eat his breakfast.

"When did you get your eye sight back Angel?" Dr. Martin asked.

"When I opened my eyes this morning I could see just as well as I did before the accident."

Everybody clapped. "I'm sure Spike will be happy about it. He told me what you did to him at Giles store yesterday." Wesley said nonchalantly.

"What exactly did he tell you?" Angel asked as he leaned forward on the table.

"He said that when he was leading you into the store that he suggested that you get a cane for blind people or a seeing eye dog because he was afraid that people would start seeing you as a couple. He said that in answer when he led you into the back of the store you grabbed his head and gave him a big wet kiss on the mouth. He said when he got home he brushed his teeth and gargled with mouth wash at least 3 times."

Angel faked some tears and sniffed a couple of times. "Now my feelings are hurt. Here I took the chance of opening up and showing my true feelings and he rejects me. It's a good thing Frank changed his mind about becoming a Vampire or I would of had another Childe that would reject me and my feelings. Fortunately for me I have my one true love with me and she never rejects me."

"What happened at the warehouse Angel?" Wesley asked.

"It was what we thought. They offered me a volunteer to be turned into a Vampire. I did the whole routine of showing him what it was like to be a Vampire. When I was sure of how many men their were and where they were I made my move and disarmed them. Unfortunately their was one man that was further in back of the rest that had a machine gun of some type. He got scared and started firing at nothing in particular he just sprayed the room with bullets. That's when I grabbed onto Dawn and protected her with my body and you know the rest."

"Why are you so interested in Richards Angel?" Wesley asked. His curiosity was killing him.

"Every time I have been near him or talked to him I've sensed something in him that I can't put my finger on. I know that I've sensed this before but I just can't remember where or when. That is the reason though that I want to talk to him. I want you to talk to him to Wesley. I would like to ask him to join our team."

* * *

TBC.........................


	12. Chapter 12

The Gift

Chapter 12

If you want to have him work with us Angel I suggest that we do it on a trial bases first. Let us get to know him first then we can meet together and decide if we want him to join us. Okay?" "Okay Wesley. Since we will be living with him I guess that's only fair." Angel said. Then he pulled a pamphlet out of his jacket pocket and laid it down in front of Wesley.

"What's this?" Wesley asked as he picked up the pamphlet.

"I need you to help me choose a Mini Van for Cordelia."

"So you've decided that you want her to have her own car."

"Yes. I rented one in New Hampshire and then another one in Ireland. They're nice Wesley. Best of all I had enough room for my legs and I don't have them sticking out on either side of the steering wheel."

"Do you know what make of Mini Van you want?" Wesley asked after looking at the pamphlet.

"I haven't been able to decide that's why I want you to help me." Angel was so happy that he could finally do this. He had been thinking about it ever since Ireland.

"Well what we could do is start checking the Consumer Report magazine for their annual report on each type of Mini Van. I'll go to the book store and pick up their book that lists all the vans and shows any problem that they're known to have." Wesley said as he headed for the door.

"Is their anything you want me to do while your gone?" It was so unusual to hear Angel talk like that, that Wesley stopped in his tracks. It kind of shocked his brain into stopping. When it started again he realized Angel was asking again if their was anything he could do.

"Oh, I'm sorry Angel I kind of spaced out for a second. I'm not used to you asking if you can do anything. Why don't we all go to the Mall and make a day of it?"

"That sounds good. I'll call Buffy and Spike and see if they want to join us." Angel said as he followed Wesley inside.

Wesley found Cordelia, Fred and Dr. Martin in the kitchen cleaning up.

"Angel and I are going to the mall would you ladies like to join us?" He was answered with a chorus of YES from the ladies.

"Good, Angel and I thought we could make a day of it. He's calling Buffy and Spike to see if they want to join us. I am going to see if Connor and Gunn want to go. We can leave in 20 minutes okay?" "That's fine we should be done by then." Cordelia said.

Forty minutes later they were all at the mall. Buffy and Spike joined them at the underground entrance from the parking garage. Before the ladies took off in their own direction Angel told Cordelia to take Dr. Martin to get a complete wardrobe. "Tell her that if she says no then it will hurt my feelings. Get her a few evening gowns also. Don't purchase the gowns though. Tell her to pick what she wants then I will come to see how they look on her. Get her hair done if she wants, but tell her that her son will be very sad if she should cut it."

Cordelia joined the other women and Angel joined the men. Wesley headed for the book store with Angel and Gunn, Spike, and Connor headed for the electronic game store. Since both Angel and Wesley loved books they spent the next three hours in the Walden Books store. By the time they were done Angel had spent over a thousand dollars on books, the bulk of which was children's books. But they walked out with only two which was the Consumer Report. The rest would be sent to the Hyperion from a Waldon book store in Los Angeles.

From the book store they headed for the food court to get something to drink and sat down to check over the Consumer Report Books.

"So what do you think Wesley? Dodge, Toyota, Chrysler or Honda?" Angel asked. He was like a little kid looking at all of the toy cars in a Toys R Us catalogue.

"Well Angel after studying this book and all the information that it gives I would say your best bet is the Toyota Sienna. My second choice would be the Dodge Caravan." Wesley said.

"I agree. All we have to do now is look for what we want. We have to go find the ladies now. I hear Cordelia calling me."

Angel and Wesley left then and went to the store that the ladies were at. As soon as you walked in you could tell that they catered to a higher class of clientele. Which was another word for people with money that didn't have to ask how much before purchasing an item. As soon as they walked through the doors they were greeted by a well dressed woman.

"May I help you?" "Yes I am looking for my wife, she said she would be here. Her name is Mrs. Cordelia Chase-Martin." Wesley noticed that Angel acted as though he came into places like this all of the time.

"Yes Mr. Martin please follow me. "The sales woman guided them to a back room with double doors. She opened the doors and stepped back. The women were all sitting in a semi circle around a stage. Both Angel and Wesley immediately went to their wives and kissed them in greeting. Two of the sales women brought two more chairs over and fresh coffee and tea.

"Where is Dr. Martin?" Angel asked while pouring himself some coffee and tea for Wesley.

"She's in the back putting on her first gown." Cordelia answered. Just as Angel sat back down Dr. Martin came in and stepped up to the small stage. The gown she wore was white with a green sash that hung down the back. All of the gowns that Dr. Martin had chosen were for the most part solid colors. Except for the white one they all had high collars and long sleeves. The skirts were full, and made of a light material so that they flowed when she walked.

"Perfect, now I know where I get my good taste in clothes from. I always thought Darla taught me how to judge clothes but I see now that it's inherited. Pack them up and we will pick them up later after dinner.

As soon as Dr. Martin was ready and Cordelia had paid for them they all went to gather up the rest of the men. "Where does everyone want to go for dinner?" Angel asked everyone.

After several minutes of discussion they all agreed to have dinner at the food court. Cordelia was craving pizza, Fred went, of course, to the taco stand, Dr. Martin and Wesley went to the vegetarian stand and the rest went for the hamburgers. They all met back at tables that they had pushed together. Even though Cordelia had bought a pizza she ended up eating most of Angels french fries and half of his hamburger and Angel ate half of her pizza.

"Wesley and I are going to go and take care of some business when we leave here Cordy. I'm going to ride with him so you can take the car home okay?" Angel told her. He was hoping that she would take it at that and not ask any questions because he had a hard time lying to her. She was an expert at getting him to squirm and tell her the truth.

"Okay Angel I'm pretty tired anyway, I think I'll be going right to bed." They all got up then and Angel and Wesley gave their wives a kiss then left. The rest went to their cars and left to return home. Cordelia was dead tired and went right to bed without taking a shower. The rest of the women knew she was tired because she didn't even bother to talk to them about what Angel was up to.

Angel and Wesley went to the only Toyota dealer in Sunnydale. Angel was to excited to talk to the salesman so he let Wesley ask the questions. He went walking around to all of the Sienna Mini Vans and spotted one that was a candy apple red. Angel whistled for Wesley and the salesman to come over to him.

Wesley and the salesman came over. When they were by his side Angel just pointed at the candy apple red van. He whispered to Wesley "I want this one." Wesley went over to the sticker that listed all that the van had. Angel had chosen one that was fully loaded and with the sticker price shock to go along with it. Wesley went over to Angel and said "Angel do you realize how much they are asking for the van. Don't you want to, shall we say, discuss the price with the salesman first?"

"Wesley that is why I wanted you to come with me. You know how I love my cars. When I find what I want my brains practically fall out. I can't negotiate a reasonable price. You would be shocked if you knew how much I paid for my convertible. The salesman that I bought it from saw a big Sucker standing in front of him when I saw that car. So I am leaving everything up to you. I am just going to continue to walk around and check out the sports cars." As Angel started to walk away he patted Wesley on the back then turned and left.

The salesman had gone to get the key for the van and was returning as Angel walked away.

"Doesn't Mr. Martin want to test drive the van?" "No he has driven one before and he knows how they work. Let's talk about a more reasonable price for this van because what you are asking for it is outrageous." Wesley put his arm around the salesman's shoulder and they walked back to his office. It took Wesley an hour to get the salesman to come down by $10,000. The dealer had been asking for an outrageous amount because of all of the additions that had been put on but Wesley had been very thorough in his research on the van and he knew exactly how much it had cost the dealer. Wesley had them call Angel on the speaker to return to the office so that he could sign the papers. Since Angel was putting all of it on his credit card their was very few papers that needed to be signed.

When they were done the salesman, whose name was Bob Reed, offered Angel the keys.

"Bob I want you to do a little more for me. If you would take care of this personally I would greatly appreciate it. I need you to bring the van over to my address tomorrow morning at 10. We will leave the gate open and I want you drive it into our driveway and right to the front door. I want you to have the biggest bow that you can find sitting on top of that van. I also want you to have three dozen of the best long stemmed red roses sitting in the drivers seat. Leave the keys in the van. Come up to the front door and knock on the door then leave before anyone answers."

Angel put $1,000 dollars in Bobs pocket. "Can you do that for me?" "Yes Mr. Martin that will not be a problem." Bob's eyes became as big as saucers and his smile went from ear to ear." Thank you, thank you very much for your business and if I can help you with anything else just give me a call."

Angel and Wesley got into Wesley's SUV and left to go back to the mansion. By the time they returned to the Mansion it was 11 P.M. and both were rather tired. "Thanks for all of your help Wesley. Have you talked to Xander lately?" Angel asked as Wesley parked his SUV on the side so that Bob could pull in with the van.

"Yes I talked to him last week. He said they would be done by next week Friday so I let Fred know and we are going to go and check it out on Saturday. We'll be back on Sunday afternoon."

"Good. This coming Friday will be our last Lamaze class." "How has that been going anyway? Is it making you or Cordelia apprehensive?"

"Most of it was okay. We already knew what to expect from Dr. Martin, but last week I thought I was going to embarrass myself in front of everyone." "What happened?" Wesley asked. They had taken a few minutes to stand outside and take in the night air.

"They showed a film on the delivery of a baby. It went from the first contraction to the baby's head actually crowning. They showed how much pain the mother was in because she did it without any drugs. That's when I almost fainted. If it wasn't for Cordelia being right there I think I would have scared the teacher by passing out. Fortunately one of the other men passed out instead. Sometimes I think of all that we are going to go through and it scares the shit out of me. When I saw that film I was paying more attention to the mother and how much pain she was in when the baby actually was passing thru the birth canal and then the shoulders came out." Angel started to sway and Wesley made him sit on the front steps and told him to put his head between his legs. "Take a few deep breaths Angel." Wesley was sitting next to him and rubbing his back so that he would calm down.

"I think about what is going to happen Wesley and I actually start sweating. I can't figure it out. I've been in battles with demons where they almost tore me limb from limb. I've been paralyzed, blinded, crucified and sent to hell and back. I can't begin to tell you how many bullets I've had taken out of me, some of which I've had to take out myself. But Wesley I've never been more afraid of anything then I am of what Cordelia and I are going to go through to bring Kathleen into the world."

"Angel are you sure that your going to be able to go through this and support Cordelia at the same time?" "I don't know Wesley but I am going to do my best to try and stick it out with her till Kathleen joins us on the outside. I am hoping and praying that Mom will be able to pull a rabbit out of her hat and give me something that will ease what I am feeling and then I can pass it onto Cordy. But if she can't then I am going to have to go thru with it along with Cordy. You'll be there through the whole thing won't you Wesley?"

"We'll be there Angel, from beginning to end, I give you my word." "Thanks Wesley cause I am going to need all of you. I'm going to bed now. My legs feel weak just thinking about it. Good night Wesley and thank you again for all of your help."

"Good night Angel."

The next morning Angel got up early and went to Dr. Martins room and knocked on it softly until he heard her get up. "What is it Angel, is something wrong?" "No, no I just wanted to let you know that I bought a Mini Van for Cordelia and I am going to surprise her with it at 10 which is in about 30 minutes. I don't want anyone but her to answer the door so I am going to wake everyone up and let them know." "Okay what do you want us to do. Hide up here or on the patio?" "Your rooms I guess." Angel went onto the next room until he notified everyone then ran downstairs to start breakfast. At exactly 10 A.M. he heard Bob driving the Mini Van to the front.

Angel went to his bedroom door and opened it to check on Cordelia to see if she was up yet. He stuck his head in the door "Get up sleepy head I need some help out here." She was just coming out of the bathroom and had already dressed. "I'm coming, I'm coming keep your shorts on." Angel went back to the kitchen and continued to stir the pancake mix. Bob timed it just right. Cordelia was just coming around the corner when the door bell rang.

"Now who in the world could that be at this time in the morning?" Cordelia went to the door and opened it. There was no one their so she stepped further out to look both ways for someone that might be out there. Everyone else that was upstairs came running down the stairs when they heard her let out a loud scream. Angel was at the door within the next second.

Cordelia hadn't noticed the van until she was about to close the door. She opened the door again when it dawned on her that there was a van in front and the van had a big red bow on it.

That is when the inevitable scream was heard all over. Cordelia ran to the drivers side of the van and opened the door. On the seat were three dozen long stemmed roses with keys attached, ownership papers, and a card that just said

'To Cordelia with all my love. Angel.'

Cordelia ran back into the house and into Angels arms. She gave him kisses in between the thank you's then ran back to the van as she held onto her stomach. She had to adjust the steering wheel and the seat so that she could accommodate Kathleen.

"Come on girls lets go for a test ride." Dr. Martin ran out to the van and jumped into the front passenger seat. Fred didn't follow though.

"Come on Fred lets go." Dr. Martin called to her.

"Not right now I have work to do. I'll ride back to L.A. with you when we go home." Fred said then turned around to go back in.

"Connor go with them please." Angel told Connor. He didn't want the women going out by themselves. Connor went running out to the van and got into the middle of the van. As soon as he put his seatbelt on and Cordelia closed the door she took off.

Angel was whistling as he went back to his cooking. Wesley followed him into the kitchen and made some hot tea for himself. Gunn followed them in also and poured himself some coffee.

"Can we help Angel?" Wesley asked. "Yeah why don't you set the table. By the time they get back the food should be ready." Gunn and Wesley were smiling at Angel as he cooked and whistled.

Cordelia had taken off down the road and headed for Buffy's house to show them her new van. She didn't notice a large green and white van following her. As she approached the next intersection another van pulled in front of her.

"Mom, get the phone from my purse and call Angel. I think we are in trouble here. Tell him that we are in front of the Sunnydale High School and I think they are going to force us to stop here." Before Dr. Martin could get through the two vans forced Cordelia over to the side. Five men jumped out of the green and white van and pulled the doors open. Connor jumped out and attacked the man grabbing for Cordelia, but when another man grabbed her and he saw a gun being held against Cordelia's head he stopped.

"Your asking for more trouble then you can handle mister. I would leave her alone if I were you." Connor said it as a threat.

"Be a good boy and go home to your Daddy. You tell him we will contact him in one hour. Nothing will happen to his women as long as he does what my boss wants." They then took Cordelia and Dr. Martin to the green van and left. Connor got into the van and returned home. He made sure that he kept to the speed limit. He didn't want to get stopped because he didn't have a drivers licence yet.

He pulled up in front of the Mansion and came to a screeching halt. Just as Angel came running to the door Connor came bursting through them. "Dad someone forced Cordelia to pull over by the High School and took her and Grandma. They said they would contact you in an hour and that the women wouldn't be harmed if you do what your told. I couldn't do anything because the guy holding Cordelia had a gun to her head. "

Wesley immediately got on the phone and called David Morgan and let him know what was going on. When he was done with Morgan he called Buffy and told her to get everyone together and bring them over to the Mansion. He explained that Cordelia and Dr. Martin had been kidnaped. As he was talking to Buffy he noticed Angel just sat down at the table. He was holding onto his arm and trying to keep it from shaking. Why it continued to do it Dr. Martin couldn't say. She said that they would have to wait to get home and then they would try to find out why this was continuing to happen.

Wesley went into the kitchen and made a cup of blood for Angel. Then he put it on the table in front of Angel but he made no move to take it.

"Angel you had better drink it because you know your going to need your strength." Angel looked at him. Wesley saw no reaction on Angels face, no emotion at all, just a blank stare. Angel then picked up the glass of blood and drank it in one gulp. He just wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then just sat there without saying anything.

One hour later Spike, Buffy and the rest of the Scubby gang came in. Buffy went to Angel and hugged him. He didn't respond. He seemed to be concentrating on something and he couldn't devote even a moment to respond to external input.

Spike called Buffy over to where he was standing with Wesley, Gunn, and Giles. She backed away from Angel slowly and joined them. Angel just continued to stare out into space and holding onto his arm.

"What's wrong with him Wesley?" Buffy asked. "I think he is searching for Cordelia's mind, but he has told me before that she can't talk to him as easily as he talks to her. Her voice comes to him more and more faintly with increasing distance. When he was taken back in L.A. we used Cordelia to find him and Dr. Martin. She was able to hear him quiet easily and was able to tell us exactly where he was. We used her again to find him when he went to get Dawn."

The phone rang and Wesley answered it. "This is Wesley." "Wesley this is David Peterson. I was Stephan Johnson's partner." "Yes I remember Angel speaking of you." "Put him on the phone then." Wesley turned to Angel. "It's David Peterson Angel, he wants to speak to you." Wesley handed Angel the phone.

"This is Angel." "Angel this is David Peterson and as you might have guessed we have your wife and Dr. Martin. Stand outside of your front door and a van will come up to get you. I think your smart enough to know not to try anything." Peterson hung up then without saying anything more.

Angel turned to Spike. "Spike come with me for a minute." Angel walked into his bedroom and Spike followed.

When Spike entered the bedroom Angel closed both doors. "Spike I need to strengthen the link between us so that you can hear me over greater distances. Do you know what I have to do in order to accomplish this?" "Yes but I can't take it from your neck or they'll be able to see it. Roll your sleeve up and I'll take your blood from there." Spike ran to the door and told Wesley to warm up a container of blood for Angel. He then closed the door and went back to Angel. Angel grabbed Spike by the shoulders and put his game face on and bit into his neck. He drank a large amount of blood from him, more then he really needed, but he wanted to make sure that this worked and he wasn't sure how much they had to take from each other. Spike's knees started to buckle and Angel released him. Spike put his game face on and bit into Angels offered arm. He was so weak though that Angel took him to the bed so they could sit down. Spike drank from Angels arm greedily until Angel started to push him away. "Stop Spike I'm getting to weak." Spike withdrew his mouth and began to lick the wounds. Angel had already done the marks on Spikes neck and they had stopped bleeding.

"You alright?" Spike asked Angel. "Yeah. I have to leave, they're waiting for me to come out to the front doors." Angel got up from the bed and would have fallen if Spike wasn't there to catch him. "Wesley bring that container of blood in here." Spike yelled out to him.

Wesley came in with the container and gave it to Angel. He drank it all in several gulps. Spike helped him to stand up again and took him to the front door. "You feeling okay now?" "Yeah. Wish me luck." Spike and Angel looked at each other then Angel turned and walked through the front doors then closed them and waited to be picked up. The others in the Mansion watched him until the van came to pick him up.

Spike could hear Angel more clearly now. He knew that he would be able to find him once they knew it was safe to follow.

The van went a long way. Angel couldn't see where they were because they put a bag over his head, but his senses told him that they were out of the city. Thirty minutes later they came to a stop. Angel still couldn't hear Cordelia but he could smell her and Dr. Martin. They pulled him out of the van and lead him over to an office. There were 15 men in the room. Angel looked at all of them carefully. He took in their scents but he didn't recognize any of them except for Peterson.

"Didn't you have enough Peterson. Do you think that just because you have a different prisoner that you'll have a better chance of forcing me to do what you want." The guard holding onto Angels arm forced him into a leather chair that was in the middle of the room.

"We aren't from around here Mr. Martin, we are from Chicago. I guess you could say that we are what's more commonly known as the Mob. We don't play games like Johnson did and we don't threaten. We get things done Mr. Martin. Now we have been investigating what is known as the underworld of Vampires, Witches and demons. We know that you are a Master Vampire and in fact that you are the only Master Vampire in the United States and the only one through out the history of Vampires that has a soul. Fortunately for us you also have a family of sorts in your Angel Investigation crew and most especially a wife that is pregnant. You know what we want Mr. Martin and we aim to get what we want before we return to Chicago. We have a volunteer here that has agreed to become a Vampire. Get it done Angel and then well let your wife and the woman that you call Mom go." Peterson signaled to someone outside of the office.

Two men walked in. One was carrying an unconscious Cordelia and the other walked Dr. Martin in. A table was brought in and Cordelia was placed on it. Angel searched for Cordelia's mind, but he found nothing which meant she had been put into a deep sleep.

"Are you both alright?" Angel asked Dr. Martin. "Yes Angel Cordelia is in a deep sleep I don't know about Kathleen though. If you would allow it Angel can check his daughter to see if she is okay. When you gave Cordelia the drug to put her into a deep sleep it also affected her baby. Either I need to check for the babies heart beat or Angel can do it."

"I wouldn't worry about Mrs. Martin and her baby right now. Unless Angel does what we want that won't be an issue within the next 10 minutes." Peterson said. He then signaled to one of his men to bring the volunteer in.

A short, rather thin young man, with sunken cheeks was brought into the room. He didn't really walk into the room, he more or less swaggered in. Angel guessed that normally this young man was at the bottom of the totem pole and rarely if ever was in the limelight. When his boss asked for a volunteer the young man saw an opportunity that would probably never come his way again.

"This is Doug Miller, he is our volunteer. This is the young man that I want you to turn into a vampire. When this is done then we will give the two women back to you. That is all you have to do. I assure you that we have done our research and we know what his immediate needs will be. If you give us any problems then we will give you more of an incentive to do as we ask." Peterson signaled for another person to come in. This time it was a man in a white coat that was pulling a tray full of surgical equipment. He pulled Cordelia's blouse up and pulled the top of her skirt down a little. The man didn't identify himself.

"Since your wife is almost at the end of her pregnancy she is quite large with her growing baby inside of her. Which means the skin over her belly is stretched tight. All this man has to do is take a very sharp surgical knife and just slice the very top layer of skin and that first layer will split. Now I promise you Angel that if you don't do what we want within the next 10 minutes that man standing over your wife with an ultra sharp surgical knife will make his first incision. He won't wait for my signal to go ahead he will just do it." Peterson signaled for his men to step back. The 2 men standing on either side of Angel stepped back and aimed their guns at him.

Angel stood up. He approached Doug Miller but stopped and looked around. He looked at Cordelia on the table. The man standing over her put the knife in position to make his first stroke across her belly. He was calculating his chances to stop him.

Angel was remembering the time Cordelia was raped and he could do nothing to save her. Now he had failed her again. He was thinking of his promises to uphold the laws set by his Boss. Angel was Gods champion in this world. He could kill any demon, or vampire that he had to, to save someone but he could not kill a human. All of this went through Angels mind over and over again and the stress was making his arm shake almost uncontrollably.

Angel was brought out of his thoughts when Peterson said he had only one minute left to decide. He grabbed onto Doug Miller's shoulders and put his game face on so that his eye teeth would grow and enable him to bite into his neck. He put his mouth on his neck, but as he did this his eyes caught Dr. Martins eyes. She looked at him and shook her head almost imperceptibly. He saw her close her eyes then and her lips started to move. He knew she was praying to give him strength not to do as they asked. She knew he was being tested to see if he would obey the primary rule for himself, Spike, Buffy and Faith. That primary rule that said they could not kill any human. To make matters worse though Angel was being enticed by the sweet smell of the young mans blood. In his mind he could already taste the thick warm liquid going down his throat. He thought of his first kill and how sweet it tasted. Then his thoughts went to his sister Kathleen and his memories of that night helped him to do the right thing.

Angel withdrew his teeth and returned his face to it's normal visage. He turned away from the young man. "I can't do it. No matter what you do or threaten to do I can't do it."

The man standing over Cordelia made an incision that was about 4 inches in length. He did it with such a light hand that it was more like a paper cut then an incision. But it had the desired affect on Angel. He tried to stop him but was too late. They fired a shotgun into him twice. He fell to the floor but didn't lose consciousness. Two of the men picked him up by his arms and stood him up in front of Peterson.

"I am going to give you another chance Angel. Except this time you will only have 5 minutes." Peterson told Angel.

"I won't do it Peterson no matter what you do." Angel said. He was just barely conscious and would have fallen if Peterson's men hadn't been holding him up. "Don't you care what happens to your wife and child. I thought you had a soul now and you loved your wife and child." "It's because I love them that I won't do it. I won't cause someone else to live in the hell that I have lived in since I was turned. Besides my Boss wouldn't like it and might take everything away that he has given me. I have faith that He won't let her and our child die."

"Who is he talking about. I thought he was the top man?" Peterson asked no one in particular.

"His Boss is God." Dr. Martins low voice came from in back of the men that were guarding Angel. Everyone was quiet after she said this. Peterson had second thoughts about going against the top Guy. 'Aw hell why bother even thinking about it I'm going to hell anyway so why bother.' Peterson thought to himself.

The two men holding Angel had let him fall to the floor. Angel had now worked his way up to his knees in front of Peterson's desk. You could see the pain in his eyes. It wasn't from physical pain but the pain that resulted from his struggle to do what was right and to have the energy to say no. He had almost failed in his promises to God and his Son. When he saw the look on Dr. Martins face and her shaking her head and telling him no he knew what he had to do and somehow she gave him the strength to do it.

Peterson saw the look of resignation on Angels face and he knew that anything he did would be useless, he stood up then. "Kill them all. Kill his wife and the other woman first before you kill him. I want him to know what happens when anyone refuses orders from me."

The man standing over Cordelia started to make a second, much deeper and much longer cut. He intended to leave her to bleed out which would kill her and her baby. A second man went over to Dr. Martin and pulled her head back and put a knife to her throat.

Before either man could start to make their knife stroke David Morgan's men came through the doors. Bobby was at the head of the group and he went for Peterson while firing a machine gun into the air for several seconds. Morgan came in after almost half of his men had already come in. Two of his men helped Angel and Dr. Martin out of the door. A third man picked up Cordelia from the table and took her outside. Wesley, Spike, Gunn and Connor were outside waiting. The third man gave Cordelia to Spike who had stepped forward. Morgan didn't want them involved any further so he had told them to stay outside. "Mr. Morgan told me to tell you to go home and take care of Mrs. Martin. These men won't ever bother you again." The third man was Richards. "Richards did you get my message that Angel wanted to see you?" "Yes, I did. Tell him that I will see him in Los Angeles in two weeks." Richards turned then and went back into the warehouse. Wesley and Gunn had put Angel in the back of his SUV along with Dr. Martin. They put Cordelia in the back with them as soon as Richards turned her over.

In the warehouse Bobby was standing by Peterson and had a gun pointed at his heart. Morgan approached Peterson. "Why are you trying to force Angel into turning one of your men? Why haven't you people come directly to me?" Morgan said as he walked slowly into the office.

"You guard yourself and your wife too well. It was easier to go after Angel's people. Besides he was the one on the tape and not you." Peterson was scared and looking for a way to get out. Morgan could smell the fear coursing through Peterson's body.

"I want you to call your bosses in Chicago Peterson. I want you to tell them that I, Morgan will give them what they want. I want you to tell them that in return for this favor they are never to bother Angel and his people again?"

Peterson hesitated for a moment then picked up the phone and dialed Chicago. When he had his boss on the phone Morgan took it from Peterson. "This is Morgan, I am going to give you people what you want. I wanted Peterson to give you a call because I wanted you to hear what is going to happen."

Morgan looked at Bobby and nodded. Bobby put his game face on and bite into Peterson's neck hard. He held onto him tightly. Peterson was bigger then Bobby but with his Vampire strength it wasn't a problem for him to hold onto Peterson as he struggled to get away and then as he started to slump to the floor.

Morgan reached out his hand and touched Bobby's shoulder. "That's enough Bobby, let him feed now." Bobby withdrew his mouth from Peterson then reached for his arm and used one of his fangs to cut into his own wrist. Then he raised it to Peterson and forced him to drink his blood. At first Peterson tried to turn away but Bobby grabbed his head by his hair and forced him to drink his blood. When Peterson tasted the blood he sucked at the blood hard. When Bobby started to feel dizzy he pushed Peterson away and he fell to the floor. Morgan picked up the phone again.

"You have your Vampire now." Morgan hung up the phone then and walked away. "Make sure that he has something to drink when he wakes up in another day or 2. If I were you I would put him in a cage before he wakes up. There are only 4 ways to kill a vampire. Fire, taking his head off, stake through the heart or sunlight. Protect yourself gentlemen because you don't know what kind of demon will take up residence in his body. Angels demon is the worst one that anyone has ever come across. My advice to you is not to piss him off anymore because he just may pay you a visit and end it all. There are a lot more hideous ways to make a human suffer without killing them and I have often heard that Angelus knows them all. Lets go."

David Morgan turned then, put on his protective gear and left. Wesley and the rest had already left. Morgan told the driver to go to the Mansion. As they approached the gates they found that the car couldn't go any further then the driveway in front of the gates. The driver pressed the horn several times. Wesley came to stand at the front and he recognized the vehicle that Morgan was in. Willow had put a protective spell on the Mansion and Wesley asked her to take it down. When she was done he pressed the button that would open the gates. Morgan's driver drove up to the front door and Morgan and Bobby got out. Wesley went to Morgan and shook his hand.

"I can't thank you enough for helping us David." "I should be apologizing to all of you Wesley. This was all my fault once again. I came to see how Angel and Cordelia are."

"Dr. Martin is working on Cordelia right now. She is okay the man that sliced her went just far enough to draw some blood. Dr. Martin is just putting a light bandage on her. Spike took the bullets out of Angel and he is sleeping right now." Wesley reported.

"Good, let him know that we gave Peterson what he wanted. Except that it was Peterson that got the gift. I've told their bosses in Chicago that they were to deal with me and they were to leave Angel and the rest of you alone. I am going to leave 5 of my guards to stay with you until you get back to Los Angeles. Do you have room for them?" "Yes we have several rooms that aren't being used. I presume that they are Vampires?" "Two of them will be and the other 3 will be human." "Make them all human David. I don't think Angel would like having Vampires guarding the family." "Okay Wesley that shouldn't be a problem." David turned to Bobby then and told him to pick 5 non vampire guards to help protect Angels family. Goodbye Wesley and like I said be careful." "Goodbye David and thank you for everything."

Bobby came in with 5 guards and David gave them their orders then left. The guards took positions around the outside of the Mansion and then Willow put up the spell again. The guards had been briefed before they went out as to the parameter of the spell.

Wesley went in to check on Cordelia and Angel. Both of them had been put to bed. Dr. Martin was checking on the heart beat of the baby. When Wesley came in Dr. Martin looked at him and put her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. She got up and signaled him to follow her.

"How are they?" "All three are doing fine. The slice that was made on Cordelia was superficial. I was worried more about what kind of drug they had given her to make her sleep for so long. She is sleeping normally right now and Angel is sleeping also. When can we go back home Wesley?" "We can leave as soon as they are ready to travel." "Good, lets see how they are tomorrow morning. I would say though that we can leave tomorrow night." Dr. Martin went to the kitchen then to get something to eat. She hadn't had anything since the previous day and it was late in the day already.

"Let me make something for you Dr. Martin. Would you like a breakfast or lunch?" Fred asked her as she started making some coffee.

"How about a sandwich. Ham if you have it." While you are making it I am going to clean up so give me 30 minutes okay Fred?" "Sure Dr. Martin." "Call me Mary, Fred. Since were family now I think we can drop the formalities." "Okay Mary." Fred gave her a big smile and turned to start the sandwich.

Later in the evening around 9 P.M. Cordelia woke up. When she opened her eyes she saw Dr. Martin. "Mom, how did I get here?" Dr. Martin explained what happened to her and when she tried to turn over to check on Angel she felt the bandage. "Try not to move to much yet Cordelia, it will hurt for awhile. Just turn your head and you'll be able to see him." Cordelia did as Dr. Martin said and reached out her hand for Angels. When he felt her touch he woke up and looked at her.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" Cordelia asked. "A lot better now that I know your okay."

"Angel could you try to check on Kathleen and see if you can tell how she is. I am concerned about the drug they used on Cordelia to make her sleep. If she doesn't respond to her try calling to her to wake her up."

Angel put his hand on Cordelia's stomach and closed his eyes and searched for Kathleen's mind. Dr. Martin saw Kathleen moving around inside of Cordelia and positioning herself where she could rub his hand with her head. Cordelia put her hand on top of Angels and they both communicated with their daughter. They pulled their hands away then and Kathleen repositioned herself and was still. "She's fine Mom." Angel said.

"Good. Are you two hungry?" They both said at the same time "Yes!" "I'll bring you something in a few minutes. Angel, Wesley wanted me to tell you that David left five of his guards to help guard us. Willow also has a protection spell surrounding the parameter of the Mansion grounds. David said that he had Bobby turn Peterson and David told the Chicago people that they were to deal with him only and leave us alone. He also wanted me to tell you that Richards was with David's group." "Okay, thank you for telling me." Dr. Martin got up and left then to prepare them something to eat.

She made a ham sandwich for Cordelia and filled a large glass with milk. She carefully warmed up a large mug of blood for Angel and gave him two slices of toast with butter and jelly.

She put everything on a tray and took it into their bedroom and put it on the dresser while she helped Cordelia to sit up. Angel sat up against the head board also while Dr. Martin went back to the dresser to get the tray. She put it over Cordelia's lap then took a seat while they ate. It didn't take them very long to finish their meal since they were so hungry. Cordelia put the tray over onto Angels lap then asked Dr. Martin to help her get up so that she could go to the bathroom. While she was gone Angel was quiet. Then he looked at her.

"Thank you for helping me to make the right decision Mom." "Your welcome Angel." "I would have turned him if you hadn't been there you know. I would have done anything to stop them from killing Cordelia and Kathleen." "I know Angel. God was aware of your weakness and that is why he sent me as well. But you passed your test Angel. You could have given Peterson what he wanted but you didn't. You remembered the laws that you have to live by. You remembered your promise to Him. You passed the test."

"You keep on saying that this was a test. What makes you think that it was a test?" "Did you ever see the movie The Bible?" "Yes." "Do you remember when Abraham was told by God to take his son, that he had waited so long for, into the mountains and sacrifice him. Abraham was very reluctant at first but eventually relented and made everything ready to sacrifice his son to God. But then at the last minute God stopped him and said that he was testing him but that now he knew how dedicated he was to Him. You have been tested Angel and God is pleased with your devotion to him and the rules that he has set down for you."

"How do you know all of these things?" "St. Michael has made this known to me and that's all that I can say. I can't say how he did it or when. You'll just have to take me at my word." Dr. Martin got up then and took the tray from Angel after giving him a kiss on his forehead. "I want you and Cordelia to get some rest now because tomorrow night we'll be going home. If you two have a problem sleeping just start thinking about how much sleep you will be losing when Kathleen makes her appearance in less then a month.

The next morning Angel got up first and helped Cordelia get up. She was so big now that she practically had to roll out of bed. After she relieved herself she called Angel in and they took a shower together. The warm water felt good on her back that was hurting a lot. As Kathleen got bigger she started pulling at her back which made her back hurt more when she stood for even a short amount of time.

"Angel help me to the bed again. Then call Mom." Angel helped her to lay down then pulled the covers over her. "I'll be back in a minute." Angel went out into the living room and sat down for a minute. He was starting to feel her back pains now and he had to rest for a minute.

"Angel, what's wrong?" He hadn't even noticed that Dr. Martin was sitting at the dinning room table with the rest.

"Cordelia's back is hurting her. I think she wants to know if you can do anything for her. We took a shower and she couldn't even get dressed she's hurting so much, so she just got back into bed."

"Okay lets see." They both went back into the bedroom.

"Angel tells me your back is hurting young lady." Cordelia laughed at what she said. "Young lady? Yeah well I can tell you right now that I don't feel like a young lady. I feel like I'm a hundred years old. Present company excluded. My back is hurting so much Mom that I can't stand up for long. I couldn't even get dressed. Can't you give me something for it, please?" Cordelia pleaded with Dr. Martin even though she knew she was going to say no.

"The only thing I can do Cordelia is call Dr. Thompson and ask him if there is anything new on the market that is safe to give you, okay?" "Okay Mom. Can you show Angel how to rub my back for me? Please?"

Dr. Martin went around to the other side of the bed and laid down on the other side. "Okay lay down on your side with your back to me. Come over here Angel and watch how I do this. As her back starts to feel better then yours will to." She started to massage Cordelia's back and you could hear her moan as Dr. Martin started the massage. She got up from the bed and let Angel lay down and try it. Since his hands were bigger and stronger Cordelia started to feel even better which in turn made Angel feel better.

Dr. Martin went out and called Dr. Thompson, as she thought though he didn't want her to have anything but a couple of aspirin and no more. It was just to close to her delivery date and they didn't want her blood to be to thin or she would bleed to death. "Okay Mike I'll tell her I checked with you. We'll be going home tonight and I think she has an appointment with you next week. I also want to meet with you and your partner later this week so give me a call when you two can meet me or come over to the Hotel. Okay Mike bye." Dr. Martin hung up and went to fix Cordelia and Angel some breakfast. When she was done she called Angel and Cordelia to come to the dinning room. It took them awhile but 15 minutes later Angel came in with Cordelia hanging onto his arm. He sat her down then took his own seat.

"Here you are Cordelia. Take these after you eat. I talked to Mike and he said all you could have was 2 aspirin and that is it. He doesn't want you taking it all of the time either. If you take it too much you could start to bleed faster then we can put it back in. When your done here you can go back to bed until we get ready to leave tonight. Don't be afraid either if you see strange men walking around. They belong to David Morgan. He left them here to help guard us until we go back to Los Angeles tonight.

"How are you feeling now?" Angel asked as he drank his blood.

"Better, you give good back massages." Cordelia said as she finished the last of her breakfast and took the two aspirin.

"I'm going to go and talk to Wesley. I'll be back in a little bit. We can turn the X-Box on and play a game." "Okay I'll talk to Fred for awhile also." Angel took her hand and kissed it then left.

Angel found Wesley in the carport looking over Cordelia's Van along with Fred. "How do you like it Fred?" Angel asked as he approached them. The carport was big enough to protect him from the sunlight so he felt comfortable walking over to them.

"It's beautiful Angel. It must be very comfortable to drive. Cordelia will have plenty of room for the baby and all of the things she needs for her. When are you going to get a dog for the baby?"

"A dog. Who said we had to have a dog?" Angel said rather loudly so that the guard near by overheard them.

"You always have to have a dog for the baby to grow up with. The dog is a companion and a play mate for the baby. If your lucky they will also guard them with their life. I had one when I was a little girl. He was a German Shepard that I called Billy. My Daddy always likes telling the story of when I was 3 years old and my cousin and Aunt were visiting us. My cousin was about the same age as I was. While my Aunt and Mother were visiting in the house we were playing in the back yard along with Billy. My Daddy said that they all heard my cousin scream and everyone came running to the back. At first they thought that Billy had attacked me because he was standing over me and growling. My Daddy said that he ran into the house to get his shot gun to kill Billy but when he got closer he saw that there was a big rattle snake that was all curled up and ready to strike. That was when he realized the Billy had saved me by knocking me down and standing over me to prevent me from getting up and the snake biting me. Daddy shot that snakes head off just in time because it was just getting ready to strike at Billy. That night Billy got the biggest steak my Daddy could find. He said it was Billy's reward for saving his little girl."

"I don't know Fred. Animals usually don't like Vampires. They can sense the demon inside of us." Angel said. They didn't notice it but one of the guards was close enough to hear everything they were saying.

"Excuse me Mr. Martin my names George, I happened to overhear your conversation. We have 6 dogs that help to guard Mr. Morgans property. Three Dobermans and 3 German Shepherds. Before Mr. Morgan was given his soul back the dogs would always bark at him, were afraid of him, and kept their distance. When you arranged for his soul to be given back to him the dogs attitude towards him changed. We were all shocked when we saw him one night throwing frisbees for them. He can do it fast enough so that all 6 of the dogs can go for their own frisbees. I'm sorry for interrupting but I thought you would like to know."

"Thank you for the information George. I appreciate it." Angel said. In his head though he was thinking 'Thanks a lot George now I'm going to have to get a dog for Connor and for Kathleen since I don't have that excuse anymore."

Angel turned around to see Wesley laughing. "Your goose is cooked now. Cordelia and Connor aren't going to let you rest until you get one for at least Connor." "Yeah laugh it up, now your going to have to get one for your kids. Ha! Ha!" Angel gave a returning laugh to Wesley.

"I came out here originally to ask you when we are going to leave tonight." "As soon as the sun starts to go down which is about 6:30 now." Wesley answered as he took Fred's hand and started for the door. "Okay Cordelia and I will be in bed most of the time. Her back is hurting her a lot which means mine is. If you need any help just come and get me." Angel went in then and joined Cordelia who had made it back to their bedroom. They spent the rest of the day in bed playing games on the TV and cards. At 5 o'clock Angel started packing their things then helped Cordelia to get dressed. He stripped the bed then and put all of the towels and sheets on the floor in a pile so that when the cleaning woman came she wouldn't have to gather everything up. By the time he was done it was 6:15 so he took the luggage out to the van. Fred was going to drive his car home along with Connor and he was going to drive the van while Dr. Martin kept Cordelia company in the back where she could lay down.

Wesley and Fred had their things in his SUV by the time Angel came out with Cordelia and Dr. Martin. Connor had his luggage in the back of Angels car and was ready to go. They were all anxious to go home. Problems encountered away from home always seemed to be worse and even though the thought wasn't logical it just seemed to be easier to handle when your at home. Gunn was waiting outside with them so that he could say good bye. One of the guards was going to ride with Angel, Fred, and Wesley. The other two were going to drive their own SUV.

The Scooby gang was their to send them off as well. The women were all talking to Fred for awhile. Angel saw them and knew from experience that they were cooking up something. Most likely a baby shower for Cordelia. When the women went back to Spike and Giles Angel signaled to Wesley and they all got into their respective cars and started back for L.A.

* * *

TBC..........................

Next chapter will bring Kathleen into the light. Thank you for the reviews. You make my day.


	13. Chapter 13 I give you Mary Kathleen Mar...

This is a replacement for Chapter 13. One of my readers pointed out to me that I had quiet a few spelling mistakes in the previous posting of Chapter 13. I checked it again and found a lot of mistakes. I usually am very careful about double checking my work but I guess I was anxious for Kathleen to come into the world also. It's odd but when you double check your own work you very often see what you want to see even though it's wrong and unfortunately I don't have anyone that can do the proofreading for me.

The Gift

I Present to You

Mary Kathleen Martin

Chapter 13

The AI team made it to Los Angeles without any problems, that is if you don't count the times that Angel had to stop so that he and Cordelia could go to the bathroom.

Angel pulled up to the back of the Hyperion as close as he could to let Cordelia and Dr. Martin out. They all went into the hotel and Xander was there to greet them. David's guards went in also to check the hotel out. Neither Angel or Connor could sense any strangers in the hotel so they all came in. The head of the team of guards approached Angel.

"Every thing is secure sir. You have a beautiful place here. We will be taking our leave now sir Mr. Morgan has instructed me to tell you that if you should need any further assistance to please call him." "Thank you. It's Gary isn't it." "Yes sir." "Thank you Gary. Are you hungry? Would you like something to drink before you leave?" "No thank you sir we've kind of been spoiled by what we get at Mr. Morgans. Thank you though. Good night." The men and vampires all left then.

Xander had all of the lights on so they could see all of the changes. The lobby had a new coat of paint but otherwise didn't look any different until you looked more closely.

"Xander if you know where the wheel chair is would you get it please?" "Sure Angel, I think I saw it in the clinic. I'll get it for you." Cordelia's back was hurting. She didn't have to say anything but because Angels was also he knew she needed it.

Dr. Martin saw Cordelia sitting in the wheelchair that Xander had brought over. She came over and joined them. "How are you doing Cordelia?" "My back has been hurting all evening." Cordelia said as she sat forward and tried to stop the pain that was localized in her lower back.

"Cordelia you might be starting your first stage of labor. Tomorrow morning call me if you still are uncomfortable okay?" "Okay Mom. Can I possibly take anything for the pain?" "That wouldn't be wise to do that right now. Angel can give you a back rub and that's all."

Xander took them all into the clinic first. They had torn apart the whole kitchen and set up the clinic according to Dr. Martins specifications. A corner of the room had been designated as surgery or in Cordelia's case the delivery room. One corner had a desk and shelves set up for medical books and a brand new PC was on her desk along with a printer, fax machine, and scanner that was on shelves along the wall. Angel looked at Dr. Martin, she had tears in her eyes as she walked around the room. She opened doors and drawers. She checked the refrigerator to see if it was cool enough to put in the drugs that needed refrigeration. There was also a desk close to hers that had a sign over it. "Fred's Desk". Fred let out a squeal as it caught her eye. She had a PC on her desk as well that was hooked up to the printer and scanner also. Every drawer and cabinet door had either key accessed entrance or child proof locks.

They left the clinic then and went to the kitchen. Everything had been updated and the room enlarged. All counter surfaces were made of marble and cabinet doors, drawers and refrigerator doors matched. They had 2 microwaves and a stove with 6 burners and a grill. A barbeque had also been installed in the kitchen, not as a modern barbeque but as a raised fire pit. As in the clinic all drawers and doors had child proof locks on them. All electrical outlets had safety plugs in them and those that were normally near the floor were repositioned higher up so that curious little fingers couldn't reach them. The dials for the stove were set to the side and could be covered. There were two wall ovens that were set side by side so that they could be to high for a child to touch.

After checking all of the first floor they went to the 2nd floor and all of their bedrooms. The space for each room had been increased so that they each had a mini kitchen sitting room and elaborate bathrooms.

"I need to go to bed now Angel. I can see the rest of the hotel tomorrow morning okay?" Cordelia was so tired and sore that she was falling asleep as they went through the hotel.

"Okay Cordy. Wesley we're going to bed well see the rest tomorrow. Goodnight everyone."

"Okay goodnight." Wesley said as he and Fred went into their suite of rooms. Angel and Cordelia heard Fred scream and new she was happy with their rooms.

Cordelia was so tired she slipped out of her clothes, went to the bathroom and was out in a few minutes. She headed right for the bed and crawled in. She didn't look for a nightgown she just crawled into bed in her birthday suit. Angel was checking out the new flat screened TV and home theater when he heard Cordelia crying. He turned everything off and turned the lights off after removing his clothes. He crawled into bed and put his arms around her. "What's wrong Cordy?" "I'm just so tired I guess. I can hardly wait for Kathleen to come out. Sing me that little Irish lullaby you remembered when we were staying in the barn in Ireland." Angel started to sing the lullaby to her. When he was done he could hear her slow steady breathing and heart beat that had slowed down which signaled that she had fallen asleep.

Angel was the first to wake up the next morning, it was 10 A.M.. Since Cordelia was still sleeping he carefully got up from the bed and took the phone over to the couch. He called Fr. Barris.

"Fr. Barris this is Angel. I need to see you. Can you come here or I can come to your church tonight?" "I can come over there this afternoon Angel. Any certain time?" "How about 4 o'clock that way you can stay for dinner and I am sure that Dr. Martin would love to see you. I think she will have a lot to talk to you about." "I'll see you at 4 o'clock then. Good bye."

What had happened in Sunnydale was weighing heavily on his mind. He came so close to denying God as St. Peter had done when Jesus was being tortured. He felt a need to confess what he saw as a terrible sin against his Boss. He went into the bathroom to take a shower when he hung up the phone. Angels muscles where sore and he seemed to have a constant headache. He stood under the hot water and let it run over his back. He was deep in thought when he heard the shower door open. He knew it was Cordelia so he didn't look up yet. He felt her hands on his shoulders as she rubbed them and continued to message his back with soup. He turned then and took her in his arms. She pushed him away a little and took some more soap in her hands and bathed him with just her hands. She did it slowly and massaged each arm then to his shoulder then down the front of his chest. She did each muscle that was distinctly defined. Her hands went slowly down his stomach then to his back and over his behind and slowly brought them forward. She got on her knees and reached up to put more soap in her hands then completed the process. Lovingly and softly she took all that physically made him a man into her hands and carefully cleansed him.

"Rinse yourself off Angel." He turned around and let the water rinse the soap away. Then he reached down and pulled Cordelia up and started to do the same for her except he started with her hair which he loved so much. When he had finished with her hair he took some of the liquid soap into his hands and started to wash her. Starting with her shoulders and neck and face he carefully rubbed the soap over her soft young skin. She raised her hands to better wash her face then rinsed the soap off. Yesterdays makeup went down the drain along with the fatigue that showed in and around her eyes. Angel couldn't help himself and he had to steal a kiss. He pulled away then and continued to wash the rest of her body. He did her arms and legs first so that he could spend more time washing her breasts and stomach. He got on his knees and reached up to wash her breasts. He heard her gasp, not in sexual pleasure but in pain.

"Be careful Angel they are very tender now. When you wash between my legs be very careful because I am very tender there also." "Why?" "I think my body is getting ready to bring Kathleen out to join you."

Angel proceeded to finish her bath then before turning the water off he ran his hands around her stomach. He stopped and positioned his hand as he usually did when he wanted to feel Kathleen. He closed his eyes and concentrated. No matter how hard he tried though she didn't respond and that scared him. He didn't tell Cordelia that he couldn't find Kathleen's mind. The water was getting cold now though and he quickly rinsed her off and shampooed his own hair and rinsed it. Cordelia had already gotten out of the shower since the hot water had run out. Angel helped her to dry off then he took care of himself.

"Go and sit on the bed Cordy and I'll be out in a minute to help you get dressed." Cordelia did as he said. Angel came out after he finished drying himself off.

"What do you want to wear today?" "Give me a clean nightgown for now. I want to see Mom so she can check me. I think she was right last night I think I am in the first stage of labor." Angel got on the phone and called Dr. Martins room to see if she was in there. After the second ring she picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Dr. Martin." "Mom, I'm glad your in your room. Cordelia wants you to examine her, she says you were right last night and she thinks she's in the first stage of labor." "Take her to the clinic Angel and I'll be right their." "Okay well see you downstairs." Angel put the nightgown on Cordelia and quickly blow dried her hair. After he got dressed he took her downstairs and into the clinic. Angel helped her get on the examination bed then they just waited for Dr. Martin.

A few minutes later Dr. Martin came in. "Good morning Cordelia and Angel. Angel tells me that you think your going into labor." "Yes, I am so sore. My breasts are so tender I can hardly stand for them to be touched. All the area between my legs is tender also." "Okay let me check your cervix to see if it is starting to open. Lay down and put your feet in those ever popular stirrups."

Dr. Martin put some gloves on and examined Cordelia. Since she was so tender it hurt as soon as Dr. Martin touched her. Cordelia held on to Angels hand.

"Okay Cordelia you were right. Your cervix is starting to get tender and you have opened up about 1 cm. I want to check on Kathleen right now." Dr. Martin put a monitor on Cordelia's stomach so they could listen to the baby's heartbeat. Because Angel was worried about Kathleen his arm started to shake.

When she turned up the speaker on the monitor they heard her heartbeat. It was strong and steady. She noticed that Angel had been holding his breath. "What's the matter Angel? Did you think that their was something wrong?" "Yeah I did. When we were taking a shower this morning I tried communicating with Kathleen and I couldn't find her mind."

"Kathleen is busy listening to what ever is telling her that it's time to come out and she has to figure out what she has to do in order to start her journey. So don't try to communicate with her anymore so that she doesn't get distracted. The next time you communicate with your daughter will be when I put her in your arms."

"How long do you think it will take?" Cordelia asked as she got up.

"I can't give you a time for anything Cordelia. Kathleen is in control now. It could be today or it could be tomorrow. It's all up to her. Let me get the rest of your vitals. I suggest that you carry on with whatever you were planning on doing. I know you were real tired last night but you may start having so much energy that you won't know what to do with it. So what are you going to do now?" "I think I'll go upstairs and get dressed then see what Fred is doing and we will probably check on the other bedrooms to see how they look. We probably also have to do some major grocery shopping. Okay I think that energy thing is kicking in now." Dr. Martin and Angel were laughing at her.

"Cordelia make sure that you stay here okay, don't leave the hotel. I want you to take a nap this afternoon also. I know you feel like you have a lot of energy right now but your going to need to rest just in case you deliver tonight or tomorrow morning."

"By the way Cordy I asked Fr. Barris to come over for dinner tonight. Angel told her.

"Okay, I'll let Fred know." Cordelia came over and gave him a kiss then left to go and get dressed. "Cordy take the elevator." Dr. Martin yelled. "Yes Mother." They could hear the laughter in her voice.

Dr. Martin went to the sink to wash her hands and straighten up the area. When she was done she went over to Angel. "Lets go out to the garden. Xander fixed it up so that you can go out and sit under the tree during the day." Angel and Dr. Martin went to the kitchen first to get some hot tea to take out to the garden. Angel made himself a large glass of blood also. He hadn't had anything yet and he was hungry. They went to the garden and sat at the new chairs. Angel seemed nervous though, he couldn't sit still for long. He got up and started pacing back and forth.

"You must be picking up on Cordelia's energy." Dr. Martin said as she sipped at her tea. She was as calm as he was agitated. "Angel Wesley told me that your afraid of what Cordelia and you are going to be going through. He said that when you think about it you break out in a sweat and that you almost passed out last night when you two were out here talking. Come and sit down Angel so that we can talk about this." Angel sat down but his leg was going a mile a minute. Dr. Martin was getting nervous just watching him.

"Stay right here, do not leave. I am going to get something and I will be right back." She left then and went to the new cabinet that held the liquor. She pulled out a bottle of 100 proof Southern Comfort and a couple of glasses and went back out into the Garden. She filled his glass to about 1/4 full then poured a small amount for herself. "Drink it Angel it will help to calm you down so that I can at least talk to you without getting dizzy watching you walk back and forth." Angel did as she said and drank the contents of the glass. Since all he had was liquids so far it didn't take long for it to hit him.

Dr. Martin was watching him. Within a few minutes his leg stopped bouncing. "Now that your capable of sitting still you want to tell me what is going on. Why are you so afraid of Cordelia's labor when you have gone through worse. At least I would say being dragged behind a vehicle, whipped and nailed to a cross would more than match what you two are going to go through."

"I don't know why I am so afraid of it. When we had the last Lamaze class they showed a film on a delivery. They showed it from the first contraction to the babies head crowning and then the shoulders. I was watching the pain that the mother was going through. If it hadn't been for Cordelia I would of embarrassed myself and passed out. Fortunately she caught me and told me to put my head between my legs and to concentrate on my breathing only. It also helped that one of the other fathers passed out and fell to the floor. I don't know why I get like that because like you said I have gone through a lot more and it never bothered me half as much as this is." Dr. Martin noticed that Angel was starting to break out in a sweat and his arm started to shaking again.

"Angel I think your having a problem with it because you are thinking about what is "going" to happen and not what has already happened. You've never had to do that before. Is that not correct?"

"Yes I guess so, but why is it that Cordelia isn't having the same problem though?" "Angel she's a woman and we grow up knowing that this is what has to happen in order to bring a new life into the world, that is unless you have a Cesarean for some reason. You on the other hand have been given less than 9 months and besides that you are the first man that I know of that will have to go through this."

"Yeah I guess your right. I guess it was my male ego that was taking a beating. I was feeling like a coward." "You, a coward, give me a break. You are the bravest man that I have ever come across so far. Why do you think God chose you. It takes guts to go through what you've gone through Angel. I don't want to ever hear you talking like that again. Now my advice to you is to do the same thing Cordelia is doing. Put that energy to good use and either go and kill some demons and vampires or go and exercise until you can't do one more sit up or whatever it is that you do."

Angel jumped up, leaned over and gave his mother a kiss then ran inside and to his bedroom to change into some sweats. Then he went downstairs to the basement where the exercise equipment was. For the next 3 hours he exercised until he was exhausted. By then it was 3 o'clock and he had to go and take a shower and prepare himself to see Fr. Barris. He went to room 412 first to check it out and make sure that it was okay. When he got up there he found that it had already been completed. New furniture had been put in along with a big chair for him. The balcony had been screened in so that any children that came up here wouldn't be able to fall off of it. An iron fence that was 4 feet high had been installed for further safety. All balcony's had similar reinforcements. He checked the refrigerator to see if it was on. No one had turned it on yet but Angel decided to leave it off and empty since they were going to be up here for only an hour or two. The bathroom had been enlarged and a new whirlpool bath had been installed. Candles of various sizes filled the corners by the bath. The bed was new with a black silk quilt and half a dozen deep blue and black pillows of various sizes. Before he left the room he looked at everything again and said to himself 'This has got to be Cordelia's work.' He laughed to himself and went to his bedroom to take a shower and get ready to see Fr. Barris.

By 4 o'clock Angel was down stairs and waiting for Fr. Barris to arrive. A few minutes later he heard his car in the front and he went to the door to greet him. They exchanged pleasantries then went to the elevator to go to room 412.

As they approached 412 Angel opened the door for Fr. Barris and let him in. "I can see they did a lot of work in here also. Well I'll look around later. I believe you want to make your confession?" "Yes something happened while we were gone that is weighing heavily on my mind."

Fr. Barris went to the chair on the left and Angel sat on the right. Fr. Barris prepared himself to hear Angels confession. "You can start now Angel." Angel made the sign of the cross and started with the ritual beginning of a confession. He explained to him what had happened while they were in Sunnydale. He explained about Stephan Johnson and David Peterson and what they had wanted him to do and how he had almost turned Peterson's volunteer. Angel was very ashamed about what he had been so willing to do as soon as the lives of Cordelia and Kathleen were threatened. But when he saw Dr. Martin he was reminded of his duty to God. It was only then that he was able to find the strength within himself to refuse Peterson his Vampire and forfeit all of their lives. He then told him what Dr. Martin had said to him that God was testing him as he had tested Abraham.

"Are you sorry for what you did Angel?" "Yes, I am sorry that I was so weak. I am sorry that I didn't refuse Peterson at the very beginning. I am sorry that I put myself first and Him last."

"Are you sorry because you fear losing all that He has given you? Are you sorry that you put your daughters life before Him, or are you sorry because you love Him and you hurt Him by denying Him as St. Peter did?"

Angel was quiet for awhile as he thought of his answer. "I think that at this stage I am sorry because I feared losing Cordelia and Kathleen more. I think that at this stage in my return to humanity that I am more interested in what I can see, hear, and touch. Right now I respect Him but I don't love Him. I know that He deserves this but it will take time for me to come to love Him more than I love myself and my family."

Fr. Barris was quiet for awhile while he thought of what Angel had said and what his penance should be. "Angel this is your penance, I want you to read the life story of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus. Afterward you are to add to your prayers a prayer that will ask her to teach you to love Jesus. You need never fear her or be afraid that she will put you through some ordeal that will test your faith or you physically. St. Theresa was a simple nun that paid homage to Christ by doing everything that she was given with a smile. No matter how simple the task or how humiliating the task was she did it with love in her heart. When she got on her hands and knees with uneducated pheasant girls and washed the floors she told herself 'I will do the best that I possibly can because Christ will walk on this floor.' When she took care of patients that were in the infirmary she would say to herself 'I will take care of this person gently and with respect because this is Christ that I am taking care of.' When she changed the soiled sheets of those nuns that were sick she did it with love and respect because each person was the personification of Christ to her. Her way to heaven was known as the 'Simple Way' because she didn't do anything grandiose she just met everything in life without complaint or bragging and did it with love in her heart for Christ because that was the task that He had set before her. The difference between Saints and people like you and I Angel is that they loved Him instantly. They loved Him so much that they often gave their lives for Him. Where as you and I must learn to love Him. If anyone can teach you to love God and his Son she is the one. Now make a good act of contrition."

Angel said the prayer while Fr. Barris gave him absolution. When they were done Fr. Barris put his hand on Angels.

"Angel what you did only shows that you are becoming more human. You are weak as all

humans are. When it comes to defending what is ours we humans will always take the side of what we can see and touch. The miraculous part was that you found the strength to do what was right. You almost failed but in the end you turned around and faced the demon that threatened to take everything from you and did what was right. You are a good man Angel and I don't know if I would be able to live through what you have to live through. I feel privileged to have known you and most of all I am honored and thankful that God has chosen me to be your confessor."

"You make it very hard for me to practice humility Father. Thank you for all that you have done for me and taught me. Let's go downstairs now. I think Dr. Martin would probably like to talk to you. Has she spoken to you since we last met?" "No I haven't spoken to her since then."

Angel and Fr. Barris went downstairs and then to the kitchen to see who was there. To Angels surprise no one was in the kitchen. "Have a seat Father and I'll see if Moms around." Angel stopped in mid stride, turned and looked at Father Barris and they both started laughing.

"That did sound funny, when did you start calling Sr. Mary Mom?" Angel came and sat down across from Fr. Barris and explained what had transpired and of the mutual adoption that has worked out so well.

"Let me try that again." Angel went up to Dr. Martins bedroom and knocked at the door. "Come in Angel." "How did you know it was me?" Angel asked as he walked in. "I felt the presence of an Angel." "Ha! Ha! Very funny. You know then that Fr. Barris is here?" "Yes. I am trying to do something with my hair and as they say 'I just washed my hair and I can't do a thing with it' can you help me? Cordelia told me that you fix her hair sometimes."

Angel brushed her hair out. She had tried curling it but it was so long that when she took the curlers out it just stretched and almost lost all of the curl. Angel took her hair at her temples only and braided it then pulled the ends to the back and let the rest of it hang just like that. "I love long hair on a woman and you have beautiful hair. Lets go downstairs Fr. Barris is waiting for you." "You can't do anything else with it?" "No not at the spur of the moment. If I had more time I could do something but a lot of the things that I know how to do are from back in the 1800's. When I do Cordy's hair she gives me an idea as to what she wants. Lets go now or Fr. Barris might leave." Dr. Martin wasn't used to putting makeup on yet so she just put on a light lipstick. "Well I guess this is going to be it then." They left then to go downstairs.

"Where is everybody? No one seems to be around." Angel asked. "Cordelia is doing what I told her to do and is taking a nap. Fred and Connor went grocery shopping in Cordelia's brand new Toyota Sienna. I told her that I contacted Dr. Thompson this morning when I was through examining her and let him know what was going on. I also called Buffy and let her know that Cordelia was in the first stages of labor. She said that 'come hell or highwater' they would be here tonight."

Fr. Barris stood up as Dr. Martin and Angel came down the stairs. Dr. Martin had chosen to continue to wear a long skirt and white blouse so that Fr. Barris didn't notice anything different. Even her long hair that fell down over her shoulders and slightly beyond her waist gave an impression that she was wearing a veil.

"Hello Fr. Barris, it has been so long. Come lets sit out in the garden I have a lot to tell you." "Hello Sr. Mary. How have you been?" "Well for one thing I no longer have any right to the title of Sister." They went out into the garden and stayed their until the sun went down and it started to get cool. Fred and Connor had already returned and Angel had helped them put the groceries away. Cordelia had come downstairs earlier and felt that she still had energy to spare, but Angel could tell that it wasn't energy but nerves.

By 7 everyone was sitting down to dinner. All of the Scooby gang had arrived just 1 hour before. Angel gave Cordelia his arm to hold onto as she walked to the table. He knew she was starting to feel tired again and the nervousness that fueled her energy was now gone. He took her to the table and pulled the chair out for her.

"You guys sure made good time getting here. What did you do with Spike, stuff him in the trunk?" Cordelia asked. "That was suggested but you know how Dawn is always sticking up for him so I said okay that he could sit in the front with the rest of us." Buffy said jokingly as she helped bring the food out. "We all wanted to come for the birth of the first one in the next generation." Giles said as Fred brought all of the food out along with Buffy and Willow. Fred brought out two mugs of blood for Angel and Spike. As the food was passed around Dr. Martin and Spike noticed that Cordelia wasn't taking anything but some bread that she was tearing pieces off of and eating very slowly as she talked.

"Aren't you hungry Cordelia?" "No I don't feel like eating." "I want you to eat something besides bread. I know you don't feel hungry but believe me when I say that you are going to need the energy later." Reluctantly Cordelia made a small sandwich out of one slice of bread and some meat. "Their, happy now?" "Yes I am happy, now drink all of your milk." Cordelia drank the milk and put the glass down hard. "Now are you happy?" "Yes, yes, yes. I am so happy that I want to do a dance. Ha, ha, ha." The way Dr. Martin was acting was so unusual that Cordelia couldn't help it and laughed at her.

They were all done with their dinner when Dr. Martin noticed that it became very quiet at the other end of the table. Both Cordelia and Angel had their eyes closed and where holding onto each others hand. In a loud voice Dr. Martin spoke to Angel 'Angel don't hold her hand you'll break it.' Cordelia was having her first contraction.

Dr. Martins words came through the pain and Angel let go of Cordelia's hand. Spike was sitting on Angels left so he reached for Angels hand. "Hold onto me Angel until it passes." Buffy was next to Cordelia and she reached for her hand. The onset of the contraction was such a surprise that they forgot all that they had learned in the Lamaze class. When the contraction passed Cordelia was out of breath but since Angel always received her pain a few moments after her he was still going through the pain of the contraction. Finally Angel released Spikes hands. He had been holding on so tightly that when he pulled his hands away from Spike both of their hands were whiter then usual.

When Angel had recovered he turned to his wife who had sweat beading on her forehead from fighting the pain and reached for both of her hands. "That was fun." They both laughed.

"How are you feeling Cordelia?" Dr. Martin asked her because she saw her hands shaking a little as she put them into Angels.

"I am rather tired. I had felt better after getting up from my nap but now I am tired again."

"Angel bring Cordelia over to the clinic. I am going to test her blood. Come with us Fred and Spike and I'll show you how to check blood under a microscope." Dr. Martin went to the clinic with her two students following close behind. Angel picked Cordelia up and carried her to the clinic. She put her arms around him and just rested her head on his shoulder.

Dr. Martin was showing Spike all of the clinic while she pulled out what she needed to draw blood from Cordelia. Spike was impressed with all of the changes. "Your clinic is more modern and better equipped then Mikes." "Yes isn't it beautiful. I can hardly wait for Mike to come and see it. Angel wanted to pay for the whole thing but I argued that it was my clinic and I insisted that he let me pay for half of it. I want you two to wash your hands with the antiseptic soap then put some gloves on. Set up several slides Fred so that we can check her blood for several possible problems."

After they washed their hands and put on gloves Dr. Martin let Spike draw blood from Cordelia. "Prepare several slides from that Spike. I've already instructed Fred as to what stains to use." Spike took the sample over to Fred and she proceeded to make the slides.

"Cordelia I am going to check you to see if your cervix has opened any more. Your water hasn't broke yet has it?" "No, not yet." "That's good. When I get done checking you I would like to give Spike the opportunity to check you also. He needs to feel with his hands what it feels like to check how wide the cervix has opened. Telling him that it is 1 or 2 cm isn't the same as actually feeling it. Would you let him do this?" Cordelia thought about it for a minute. "Angel would you mind?" "I'll leave that up to you Cordy. You're the one that he is going to put his hand into not me. Just remember what he told us that when he does things like this your just an object to him that he can practice medicine on and he doesn't see you as Cordelia Chase-Martin whose husband would rip his throat out if he ever touched you in an inappropriate way." Fortunately Angel said all of this with a smile.

"Okay but his hands are a lot bigger then yours Mom so tell him to be careful." Cordelia gave her okay but she was scared to and Dr. Martin could see it in her eyes.

"Help her take her clothes off Angel then lets put this sheet over her." When they were ready Dr. Martin called Spike over.

"Spike Cordelia and Angel have agreed to let you assist me in checking Cordelia to see if her cervix has opened any more. According to Dr. Thompson you haven't had the opportunity to do that yet so this may be your only chance. Okay Cordelia I am going to start now. Angel why don't you stand at the other end of the table and hold onto her hands." Dr. Martin proceeded to check her then told her when Spike was going to do it. When Spike put his hand in her she felt some pain but nothing she couldn't stand. All the time Dr. Martin was talking to Spike and pointing out different physical changes that were taking place with Cordelia. When they were done they listened to Kathleen's heart beat. It was nice and strong and she wasn't showing any stress. Dr. Martin then went to check the slides and was teaching both Fred and Spike what she was looking for.

"Cordelia you're a little anemic again. That is partly why you are so tired. You must have been craving blood again?" Dr. Martin asked it in a way that told Cordelia she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"I tried to put it out of my mind but it just crawled in there and wouldn't let go." Cordelia answered. She was looking at Angel when she said it.

"Were going to give you some fresh blood and that will make you feel better and give us a head start if you should lose any amount of appreciable blood. Spike is going to hook you up. Now your cervix has opened some more from the time that I checked you this morning. Your about 2 cm right now which means that you will probably deliver sometime tomorrow morning. As they would say when getting ready to launch a shuttle 'Houston all systems are ready for a go.' When Spike is done with the transfusion I want you to go and lay down on the couch. When you feel the next contraction starting Cordelia I want you to call me if I'm not right there. We need to figure out something to do for Angel. Remember Angel when the next contraction hits don't hold onto Cordelia. Call Spike or one of the other men."

Dr. Martin went out to the dining room to get some coffee and talk to everyone else and let them know what was going on. She found that the table had been cleared and Buffy, Willow and Tara were just finishing with the kitchen. "Is there any coffee left ladies?" "Yes we made some more. I can see why they need such a big coffee maker here." Willow said as she filled a cup for Dr. Martin. "If you two are done you want to come out here with me and I'll let everyone know what is going on." Dr. Martin went out to the dinning room and took her usual seat.

"Well it looks like you guys made it just in time. Right now mother and father are doing okay. Cordelia is a little anemic because she has been craving blood again and Kathleen was taking a drink at the fake nipple that she created on the wall of the uterus. Spike is giving her a pint of blood right now and then I told Angel to take her and put her on the couch over here. I want to observe Angel during the next contraction. Angel has taken all of Cordelia's problems a lot harder than she has."

"What do you mean that Angel has taken all of Cordelia's problems a lot harder than she has?" Giles asked as he took his glasses off and cleaned them.

"Well for instance at the beginning when she was suffering from morning sickness it always hit him harder then it did her plus he would always have a headache afterward. Then when she was having problems with depression Angel attempted to walk out into the sunlight twice. Now with the contractions he seems to be suffering more then Cordelia but I can't be sure about that because men just aren't built for sustained pain like that." Dr. Martin stopped when she heard the men making comments to the contrary. The women all looked at each other.

"It's a scientific fact gentlemen that women are able to handle more pain for a longer period of time." Dr. Martin was waiting for a comeback. She didn't have to wait for long.

"Where did you get that looney bit of information. A woman must have come up with it." Xander said.

"Well as a matter of fact Xander it was stated by NASA. They found that to be true while testing both men and women for the space program." Giles hesitated at first in volunteering the information since it would support what Dr. Martin was saying.

Angel brought Cordelia over to the couch as they were talking and she heard them. "Come over here guys so we can join in."

Everyone got up and brought their drinks with them and took seats or brought seats around the couch so they could all talk. Spike and Fred came out of the clinic and joined them also.

"Angel would you massage my feet and legs for me?" "Sure baby. I'll be right back." Angel went to the room and grabbed the special massage oil Cordelia had bought for them. He rejoined the group and sat at the other end of the couch and took the socks off of her feet. "I forgot to get a towel." Angel started to get up again. "I'll get it for you Angel just sit there." "Thanks Fred." She was back in a few minutes with a couple of towels. Everyone was watching him put oil on his hands and start to massage Cordelia's feet. Angel got Spikes attention and told him to listen to her purring.

Spike leaned forward and listened carefully. Sure enough he heard her purring almost like a cat. Buffy could hear her also. They laughed at Cordelia who had her eyes closed.

"What's so funny?" Cordelia opened her eyes and asked no one in particular.

"Does he do that for you all of the time?" Buffy asked. Spike knew where this was leading.

"Yes we do it for each other all of the time. Although he has been giving me full body massages more often. It is so soothing Buffy. For the past 3 months I have rarely wanted to have sex so Jr. has been in semi-retirement. So we give each other a full body massage at least once a week and Jr. seems to be satisfied with this." Everyone could tell that Angel was blushing even though he didn't turn red. They all had a good laugh at his expense.

"Your terrible. I'm going to get you for that later." Cordelia giggle at his remark. "Be quiet and keep rubbing."

AND here it comes Spike thought to himself. Buffy punched Spikes arm. "How come you never do that for me?" "But Luv I don't know about stuff like that. He didn't do that on the film." Before Spike knew what was going on Angel had leapt at him and had him down on the ground and was wrestling with him. He had his arm around Spikes head and was holding his left arm also.

"Your never going to let that film go will you. Besides what do I have to do to teach you how to treat a women? Do I have to take you to the same woman that I took Connor too. Even he knows about the massages." Everyone went quiet then. Angel let Spike go and put his hands to his face as he rolled over to his side. "I can't believe I said that."

Cordelia let the silence play out long enough so that she could have the proper affect when she did speak.

"Uh Angel." Cordelia said softly. She knew he could hear her. It was silent for a moment. "I have to go wash my hands Cordelia they still have all of that massage oil on them. I almost couldn't hold onto Spike." Angel started for the bathroom. But Cordelia called him again.

"Angel?" "Yes." "Come back over here you can continue to rub my feet for me." Angel turned around and took a deep breath and let it out. Then he slowly walked back. Everyone was watching and having a good laugh at Angels expense once again. Dr. Martin and Fred exchanged looks. They tried to hide their knowing smiles.

Angel sat down at the other end of the couch again and started to massage Cordelia's feet again.

"Angel.... who did you take Connor to see that he knows about massages and all?" Angel didn't say anything at first but he knew that she was waiting. He also knew that she was enjoying this also so he played along.

"Wesley, Gunn, and I took Connor to have his first encounter with a woman. I wanted him to have a good teacher like I did when I was a young man. I wanted someone to teach him how to make love to a woman and not just have sex. I didn't know how much he knew so we set him up to go to a triple X theater where he could see how to have sex. Then he was put into the hands of an experienced woman that taught him how to protect himself and his partner. Then she taught him how to pleasure a woman. Then what rang his own chimes. I knew what kind of man Holtz was so I didn't think Holtz had taught him anything or even talked to him about it so that's why I wanted him to watch a couple of porno films first." Angel turned then and looked at Cordelia.

"You know the kind I mean Cordelia?" Cordelia kicked him. "Yes I do Angel."

Angel smiled and continued to massage her feet. He knew he had won. "You knew didn't you?" Angel asked as he kept his eyes down.

Dr. Martin couldn't stand it anymore. "Angel when we went to the medical equipment company in Covina we were going down main street and we saw Wesley walking into an office that was right next to a triple X theater. Cordelia put 2 and 2 together and figured that you 4 had been there the night before. She knew that all she had to do was bide her time and sooner or later you would let it slip as to what you guys were doing then all she would have to do is squeeze you a little and you would spill your guts. I'm sorry Cordelia but I can't stand to watch you do that to him. I can play the game just so long. But girl you enjoy watching him squirm."

"Do I make you squirm Angel?" "Yes, you know you do and you think it's funny embarrassing me in front of everyone." Angel put some more oil in his hands and ran his hand further up her leg. At first he rubbed her leg softly then harder. He continued to do it softly and harder like this over and over again. Everyone was watching him. They could see it was having it's desired affect on Cordelia.

"Alright Angel I'll let you tell the guys about the school that Fred and I went to." "Are you sure?" Angel asked. "Yeah, go ahead that will make us even then. I am sure that Fred has already used what she learned already." When Cordy looked at Fred she was shaking her head frantically.

Dr. Martin knew all about where they had gone to school and she happened to see Fred also so she said something to change the conversation.

"What are we going to do with you Angel when things really start heating up?" Dr. Martin asked as she started to play with her hair. "I just realized that Fr. Barris wasn't here. When did he leave?"

"He left shortly after you went into the clinic. He said he had a scripture class that was meeting tonight that he was leading and he would call you tomorrow to see how Cordelia was doing." Wesley reported.

"Thanks Wesley. Poor Fr. Barris I think you people are a little to much for him." Dr. Martin said as she rubbed her neck. She was already looking tired and it was only the beginning.

"Well I think I am going to have a shot of Jack Daniels and see if that helps us." Angel wiped his hands carefully then went into his office. He took out his bottle of Jack Daniels and filled a glass half way and drank it all at once. Instead of going back right away he sat down on the couch in his office and put his head in his hands. Dr. Martin noticed that Angel didn't come back right away. She called to Wesley. "Wesley I think I hear Angel calling you." When Wesley looked at her she winked at him and mouthed the words 'I think he needs you right now.'

Wesley got up and opened the partially closed door. "Angel are you all right?" Wesley could see that he had been crying so he sat down and put his arm around him. "Wesley I can't remember going thru that much pain since I was crucified. I don't know if I can do it." "Yes you can Angel. What was it that you told me that Cordelia told you when you asked her if she was afraid." "She said that she thought about it sometimes but then she would think of the look of pure happiness that she would see on my face when they put my child in my arms for the first time. She said when I think of that then I know that I can endure anything." "When you start getting scared Angel think of what you will have when the pain is over. Lets go back before they come and get us." Angel wiped his eyes and got up. He reached out and grabbed Wesley's arm. "Thanks Wesley Cordelia's hormones are going crazy right now." Wesley just smiled and put his hand on Angels arm and squeezed it. They went back to the others then.

They all talked about past fights for the next hour as they usually did. Dr. Martin found these conversations very interesting. Two hours after the first contraction Cordelia had another one. Angel went to sit next to her. "Buffy help Cordelia. Give her your hands to hold onto. Spike come and sit across from me." It wasn't affecting Angel yet so he had time to tell everyone what he wanted them to do. When the pain hit him he reached out for Spikes hands.

Buffy helped Cordelia to breath correctly through it and when it was over she told Cordelia to take a deep breath then to let it out slowly. Spike did the same with Angel except that his pain lasted a little longer. To everyone's surprise Angel lost control of his features and his demon face came out.

"Okay Cordelia and Angel the last one was at 9:15 and this one was at 11:15. Your coming along pretty good. You may get lucky and have this baby before morning. Spike why don't you carry Cordelia upstairs and put her in her bed. Angel and I fixed it up today so that if she is in bed when her water breaks she won't ruin the mattress. Get as much rest as you can because it's going to be a long night. I am going to get some rest too. Spike you and Buffy seem to be able to handle them okay so I'll leave them to you. It will be good experience for all of you. Call me if you need me Spike."

Dr. Martin went to bed to get some rest while she could. Spike started to pick up Cordelia. "No Spike let me walk. Maybe it will help things along. Buffy would you let me hold onto you?"

Buffy helped her up then they started for the stairs. "Shall we run up the stairs?" "Yeah sure."

Cordelia and Buffy took the stairs slowly. Spike was waiting for Angel to get up. He had been holding his head and bent forward.

"Spike can you give me something for my headache. I feel like it's going to blow at any second." Angel laid back on the sofa. "I always seem to get these whenever there is intense communication between Cordelia and I." "I'll see what I can get Pops. Don't go away." Spike went into the clinic and came back out in a few minutes then went to the kitchen and warmed up a glass of blood. Angels eyes were closed when Spike came back. "Angel here is some aspirin and a glass of blood. Since you had that Jack Daniels I don't want to give you anything else."

Angel sat up and washed the aspirin down with the glass of blood.

"I think I'll go and lay down with Cordelia now." Spike helped him up and then followed him upstairs. Angel took the stairs slowly. When they got to the bedroom he stopped while still in the hallway and put his head against the wall and tried to relax. He took a deep breath then went into the bedroom. Buffy was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Cordelia who was sleeping. She got up when she saw Angel and Spike coming in. Angel took his shoes off and Spike helped him to take his shirt off then he just lifted the covers and laid down. He put his arm around Cordelia and pulled her close to him. Within the next few minutes he was asleep.

"How is he doing?" "Not to good. He seems to get bad headaches when ever she has contractions. He described it as intense communication. Lets go and sit on the couch and try and get some rest also. Like Dr. Martin said it's going to be a long night." Spike and Buffy laid down on the couch together and were asleep in a few minutes. The time was 12 midnight.

Spike jumped up as he was jolted out of his sleep. He had heard his name and Buffy's. They ran over to the bed. Buffy went to the other side and took Cordelia's hand in hers. She started to talk her through the contraction. Angel had rolled out of the bed and was sitting up on the floor and leaning against the bed.

An idea came to Spike out of the blue. "Angel your fighting the pain she is going through. Listen to Buffy as she talks Cordelia through the pain. Do what she says." Spike was holding onto Angels hands. He felt as though he was going to crush his hands at any second. Then he felt a slow lessening of what seemed like a death grip. Spike could see the look of concentration on Angel's face. He was concentrating on his breathing just as Buffy was telling Cordelia to do. The contraction passed and Cordelia took a few deep breaths. Angel was still going through the pain but in another few seconds it ended and he took a few deep breaths. He started to get up but Spike held him down. Angel looked at Spike and Spike shook his head. "Stay on the floor for a few more minutes Angel. Get your breath back." Angel stayed down because his head felt like it was going to split in two any second. Spike put his fingers to Angels right ear and when he pulled it away he showed the blood that was on his finger. Angel pulled some kleenex from the box on the stand and wiped his ear. When he looked at it he could see that it was soaked with blood. Spike pulled some more kleenex out and wiped all of the blood away. When he was done he helped Angel up.

Cordelia laughed when she regained her normal breathing pattern. "Who would of thought that we would ever be in this situation when we were back in high school." Then suddenly Cordelia's laughter turned to tears as she reached for Buffy. Buffy held her closely and rocked her gently. "Who would of thought that the spoiled, mean, self centered, beautiful rich girl from Sunnydale would become one of the fighters of evil in the world. I can't tell you how many times Willow and I have been shocked by seeing you so domestic."

Buffy let Cordelia lay back down again. They both turned to Angel and Spike.

"How are you doing now Angel? You seem to have taken it better this time." Buffy said.

"Yes I feel a lot better this time. I only have a slight headache thanks to Dr. Summers here. When Cordelia's contraction started he saw that I was fighting the pain instead of dealing with it. He told me to listen to you as you talked her through the contraction. I did and it immediately got better." Angel was laying down now. He had his eyes closed as he talked.

"I am going to get some wet towels for both of you. You'll feel better after you wipe your faces down." Buffy left to go to the bathroom and returned with two hand towels. She threw one to Spike which he used to wipe Angel down and she did the same for Cordelia.

"You feel unusually warm Angel. Not hot but not cold either." Spike checked Angels pulse. His heart was beating faster then usual, at least unusual for Angel. Spike reached over then and took Cordelia's wrist and checked her pulse and timed it. He then took Angels wrist again and timed his as well. "Stay here Buffy, I'll be right back." Spike wanted to check their blood pressure. He was back in a few minutes with the blood pressure monitor. He checked Angels first then Cordelia's.

Spike looked at Buffy. "They are almost exactly alike. Angel right now you are so attached to Cordelia that your body is timing itself to match hers. Right now you are more human then you've been since you were turned." Both Buffy and Spike just looked at him. He didn't hear what Spike had said because both Angel and Cordelia had gone back to sleep.

Spike leaned over and put the covers up over Angels shoulder. "I would have never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever be in this position. Especially when Angelus was beating the shit out of me just to entertain Darla." Buffy and Spike turned out the lamps on the bed stands then and went back to their couch bed.

By 6 A.M. Dr. Martin was up and taking a shower. As soon as she was dressed she headed for Cordelia and Angels bedroom. She knocked at the door. Their was no answer. She opened the door carefully and as quietly as she could. Angel and Cordelia were in bed and sleeping. No one else was in the room with them. She carefully backed out of the room and closed the door.

Spike and Buffy were just coming out of their bedroom. They all went downstair where they could talk. "How far apart are her contractions now?" Dr. Martin asked as she started to make a large pot of coffee.

"Thirty minutes. She has been progressing steadily. Buffy and I just took a break to bath and get a change of clothes. I take it you just checked on them?" "Yes they're sleeping. How has Angel been doing?" "Better. I came upon an idea when I saw him struggling with the pain. I told him to stop fighting it and listen to what Buffy was saying to Cordelia to cope with the pain. When he did he was able to deal with it better. He can hold onto her now and not hurt her hands. It's a good thing you caught her anemic condition early because she is pretty tired now. The contractions are coming on hard. For several hours they were staying at every hour then about 4 o'clock it started to come on every 45 minutes then quickly progressed to 30 minutes. I discovered something very interesting last night. I noticed that Angel was warm so I checked his pulse and blood pressure, I then checked Cordelia's since I had the monitor up in the room. Dr. Martin their blood pressure, pulse, and temperature was almost exactly the same."

"That is interesting. It will be even more interesting to see if it goes back to what it is normally once it's over." Dr. Martin said. She was deep in thought when Spike jumped up from the table that they were sitting at and ran up stairs. "Angel is calling me." He shouted back to Dr. Martin and Buffy.

When he arrived at the room he went in. "What's wrong?" "Her water broke. I woke up when I felt my clothes and sheets wet." Dr. Martin came in just as he finished telling Spike why he called him. "Take her downstairs Spike. I'll get something for her to change into." Dr. Martin told him. Cordelia was awake. "Mom can I clean up. I feel so dirty and yucky." "When was your last contraction?" Cordelia looked at Angel. They're coming every 30 minutes and it's been 15 minutes since the last one." "Okay but make it fast and I mean like 10 minutes. Do you need any help?" "No there is a shelf where she can sit down. Buffy if she should start to have another contraction would you come in and help us?" "Yes of course. Now go." Angel picked Cordelia up and went into the bathroom. He left the door partly open.

Within 5 minutes of going to shower another contraction hit them. Angel had enough time to put Cordelia on the floor of the shower and call Buffy. He was still wearing his pants because he didn't have time to undress all of the way. Buffy stayed on the outside of the shower and talked them through the pain. As soon as it was over they took a minute to get their breath back. Angel finished bathing Cordelia then wrapped her in a towel and picked her up and put her in Spikes arms. "Take her downstairs Spike. I'll be their in a few minutes." Spike and Dr. Martin took Cordelia downstairs and Buffy stayed with Angel just in case he needed her.

They were on there way downstairs when Cordelia had another contraction. Unfortunately Angel was just coming down the stairs when it hit him and he fell partway down the stairs . Everyone else was downstairs including Gunn who had arrived just a few minutes ago and went running to help Angel. Buffy told him not to help him get up though. She went to the step below him and took his hands. "Angel look at me, look only at me. Don't fight the pain let it wash over you like a wave." Buffy continued to talk to him. The contractions were lasting longer now. When it was over he opened his eyes and looked at Buffy and Gunn. "Hey Gunn when did you get in?" Angel asked as he continued to get his breath back.

"Just a few minutes ago and by what I just saw I would say you've been having a veritable party." "Yeah it's been fun. Thanks to Buffy and Spike though we're doing better now then we did at the beginning. Help me up please." Angel reached for Gunn's hand. He was a little weak and his legs were a little wobbly so he was glad to have Gunn there.

As they arrived at the entrance to the clinic Buffy put her hand on Gunn and stopped him. "You should stay out here Gunn. I'll help him the rest of the way." Gunn backed off then and went back to the table. Dr. Martin came to the door. "Wesley would you call Dr. Thompson. Try his office first. Tell him her contractions are 15 minutes apart now and he better hurry."

Wesley got up and went into his office and called Dr. Thompson. "Can I speak to Dr. Thompson please.......... If you can call his cell phone and tell him that Cordelia's contractions are now 15 minutes apart. He will know who it is. Thank you."

Wesley went over to the clinic entrance. He walked in and saw Cordelia on the table. She was going through another contraction. Buffy was trying to talk her through it but the contraction was so strong that she couldn't hear Buffy. Angel could though and he concentrated on calming her down. When it was done she sank back down and was breathing heavily.

"Angel, Angel where are you. I want Angel." Wesley and Spike helped him to stand next to the bed. "I'm here Cordy I'm here." She was breathing heavily as she reached up and put her arms around his neck. "It hurts Angel. It hurts so bad. Make it go away." "I can't Cordy it's to late. Remember what you told me when I asked you not to have the baby naturally. Your answer to me, and I am quoting you verbatim, 'Our lives are so unusual Angel that I want our baby to be born as naturally as possible.'" Cordelia let go of him and laid back down. Spike and Wesley were surprised to hear her laughing.

"What's so funny?" Dr. Martin asked her. "Angel is. When we had that conversation I knew as soon as it came out of my mouth that I was going to regret saying it because he was going to remind me of what I said." "It's nice to see that you still have a sense of humor." Dr. Martin said.

"Mom if you can't retain a sense of humor you have to get out of the game. I learned that from Buffy you know. I would watch her fighting all of the demons and vampires and she would always have some kind of snide remark to send them back to hell with. If these guys were normal they would have been put in the Looney Bin already. But as you can see we are all still here." "My goodness what does that say about me now that I have joined this group." Dr. Martin said with a laugh as she held onto Cordelia's hand.

It had only been 10 minutes since her last contraction and another one was starting. Cordelia let out a scream and Angel would have joined in if he hadn't been concentrating on what Buffy was saying to him. While Buffy was handling Angel Wesley stepped in to help with Cordelia.

Dr. Martin checked the heart monitor that was on the baby. She turned the sound up more in hopes that Cordelia would hear it and relax more. As they all heard Kathleen's heartbeat it got quiet in the room. Cordelia relaxed more and stopped fighting against the pain. She concentrated on listening more to Buffy. She thought more of the moment she would be able to hold Kathleen in her arms. The contractions were coming more frequently now and lasting longer.

Dr. Thompson came through the front doors just as Cordelia was starting another one.

"How is she doing Mary?" "She's doing okay Mike. I think you got here just in time. Her contractions are coming almost constantly." Dr. Thompson checked the fetal heart monitor reading and Cordelia's. "What about Angel, how is he doing?" Dr. Thompson went to check on Angel. He noticed that blood was coming out of his ear and his nose was bleeding. Buffy had an ice pak on his forehead and was cleaning up the blood. The doctor checked his eyes for bleeding and found them to be clear.

"What's wrong with him. I've seen fathers in bad shape before but not like this." "Other fathers aren't vampires with special abilities to feel what their wives are feeling." Dr. Martin said as she checked Angel also. "Angel? Angel can you hear me?" It took a minute but he was finally able to answer. "Yes." Dr. Martin held up two of her fingers. "How many fingers do you see?" "Two." Dr. Martin playfully gave him a light slap on his face and said, 'Get up Angel or your going to miss the birth of your daughter. Would you like Connor to come in and see his sister come into the world?"

Angel took the cold wash cloth from Buffy and wiped his face. He got up then and went over to Cordelia. "Cordy, Mom said it won't be long now. Is it okay for Connor to come in and see the birth of his little sister." Angel could see how tired she was. He took the hand towel again and wiped her face. "I must be a sight to behold." "Your beautiful Cordy, just like God made you." He gave her a kiss on her forehead and each eye then lightly touched her lips. "Let them all in if they want but on this side of the table. A girl has to have some secrets." Wesley went to tell the rest they could come in if they wanted.

"Cordelia is close to giving birth and she has given permission for everyone to come in and be their when Kathleen makes her first appearance. You have the camera Gunn?" "Yes right here."

Cordelia was having another contraction and this time she started to push. "Cordelia don't push yet." Dr. Martin said as she watched her. "I feel like I have to." "Don't do it until I tell you to." Cordelia screamed with the effort to deal with the pain and not push. The contraction passed and she was breathing heavily. "I'm so thirsty can I have something to drink." "No water Cordy here is some ice. Rub her lips with the ice Angel." Dr. Martin gave her a few small chunks of ice then gave a larger piece to Angel. "How is that? Does that feel better?" "Yes, thank you."

Cordelia started to squeeze his hand tighter. "Can I push now?" Cordelia asked through clenched teeth. The women were watching Cordelia and the men were watching Angel. Cordelia was beyond words now but Angel wasn't so Buffy continued to talk him through the pain. "Go ahead Cordelia push." Dr. Martin told her. Spike helped Cordelia to sit up a little while she pushed. When she was done he laid her back down.

"Spike come on this side and help Angel to stand. Angel come over here and watch your daughter come out into the world." Spike came over and put his arm around Angels waist and Angel held onto him by putting his arm around his shoulder. Wesley came back over and held onto Cordelia's hand.

"When the next contraction starts Cordelia push as hard as you can. As the contraction started Buffy helped her to sit up a little. Come on Cordelia push. Cordelia tried but she was so tired she wasn't pushing hard enough. "Cordelia Chase-Martin I told you to push girl and you had better dam well push." Dr. Martin yelled at her. Cordelia gave it what seemed like the last of her strength. "Okay Cordy that was a good one her head is crowning now. Give it another push and will have the head out. Let's go Cordelia, push that little girl out."

Everyone was starting to say it under their breath. Cordelia sat up again and gave it her all as everyone helped her in their own way.

"I can see the head Cordy." Angel told her as he held onto her leg that was in the stirrup. For some reason he wasn't picking up on her pain now and he could watch his daughter come into the world. "Tell her to push again Angel and well have the next seer with us."

"Cordy, one more time and she'll be with us. Come on Cordy." He reached out and took her hand. Buffy helped her to sit up and told her to push. Cordelia took a deep breath and started to push again. Dr. Thompson ran his fingers around the shoulders, he got one shoulder out then the other and Mary Kathleen slid out the rest of the way and told everyone that she had arrived by taking her first breath and giving out a loud cry. They cleared out her nose and throat of all of the fluid that she had been living in for nine months. Kathleen protested all of the way.

Dr. Thompson held her up for Cordelia to see her baby. "Here is your daughter Cordelia." He put Kathleen on Cordelia's stomach.

"You want to cut the cord Angel?" Dr. Martin asked. "Yes." He took the funny looking scissors from Dr. Thompson and cut the umbilical cord that was the one remaining physical tie to her mother.

Dr. Martin picked Kathleen up from her mothers stomach. "I'll bring her back as soon as we clean her up and weigh and measure her. Spike went with her so that he could help her and see what had to be done. Fred was with them also so that she could fill out the information on the birth certificate. In the mean time Cordelia successfully expelled the after birth and Dr. Thompson cleaned her up. When he was done he went to clean up then came over to Angel and Cordelia. "You did a good job young lady. You and Angel were lucky that you delivered so fast. First babies usually take a lot longer. I am going to leave now. I have another future mother that has gone into labor also. I am leaving you in very capable hands. I will come by tomorrow after you've had a good rest. Hunter will be over sometime tomorrow also. We've heard about the problem of your arm shaking when your under stress Angel and she want's to check on it.

Dr. Martin came over with Kathleen before he left. She handed the baby that was now all wrapped up in her receiving blanket over to Dr. Thompson. He held her up in the air. "I present to you Mary Kathleen Martin 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 27 ½ inches long. Here you are Cordelia and Angel."

Dr. Thompson put Mary Kathleen in her mothers arms. Then Cordelia looked at Angel. She looked around for Gunn. "Gunn would you bring the camera over to the other side so you can get a better picture." Gunn came over and got a good close up of the baby.

"Angel I want to introduce you to your daughter Mary Kathleen Martin. Mary Kathleen Martin this is your daddy Angel."

Angel reached out for his daughter. He carefully put one of his large hands under her head and the other around her tiny body. Angel looked at this tiny bundle in his hands. He could hear her tiny heart pumping the fresh newborn blood going through her veins and that which was so prized by him. A soul. He gave his daughter a kiss on her tiny little forehead and wiped the tears that were falling down his cheeks and onto his daughters face.

Angel bent down and gave Cordelia a long kiss. Dr. Martin was standing close by. She reached over and removed the little cap from her head.

"Look at all of that dark red hair and I can't say for sure but I think that she will have green eyes. This is a true child of Ireland Angel." Dr. Martin put Mary's little cap on again and bundled her up.

"Spike would you pick up Cordelia carefully and take her up to her bed. Angel give me Mary Kathleen and I'll carry her upstairs to her bed. I think you'll have enough on your hands just getting yourself upstairs." Angel started to follow them upstairs but he was so weak that he fell to his knees on the stairs. Wesley and Connor came over to help him up the stairs but he just laid where he fell. Wesley turned him over and lifted his eyelid. Angel was unconscious. Blood was coming out of his ear again and his nose was bleeding. "Stay with him Connor I'm going to go and get a towel and some ice."

Wesley was back in a few minutes with a wet towel and ice in a bowl. He applied the towel to Angels forehead.

Spike sat Cordelia on the bed then stood back. Buffy got a clean nightgown for her and helped her change. She stood between Cordelia and Spike while she took off one and put another one on. She then lifted the covers and helped her to lay down. Dr. Martin gave Cordelia Kathleen then went out to see what was holding up Angel.

When she saw Angel on the steps she went running down to him. "What happened?"

"He fell as he we were helping him up the stairs. He seems to be unconscious and he has started to bleed from his ear and nose. The only thing I could think of was to apply a cold towel."

Wesley said as he got up so that Dr. Martin could check him.

"That's good Wesley. He was bleeding before when Dr. Thompson came in but he was still conscious then." She sat back and let out a big sigh. "I think he might be bleeding because of what he has been going through. When we took Cordelia upstairs and her and Angel slept for awhile Spike told me later that Angel had asked for something for a headache. He told Spike that it felt like it was going to blow his head off. He said that his head would hurt after each session of intense communication with Cordelia. Hunter is coming tomorrow. She knows more about the brain then I do and she knows more about Angels physical makeup. The bleeding has stopped now." Angel started to open his eyes.

"What happened?" Angel asked. Wesley helped him to sit up.

"How does your head feel?" Dr. Martin asked. She felt for his pulse on the side of his neck. It had slowed down to it's normal beat.

"It still hurts but not as much as before. Before when I passed out it had started hurting real bad. When she had the contraction after I asked her if Connor could come in it started to get so bad that I had to break the link. If I didn't I would have passed out again. Don't tell her though I don't want her to know that I failed in my promise to her again." Dr. Martin and Wesley just looked at each other and a silent agreement passed between them. They would let this pass for now.

"Okay Angel but lets get you to bed for some well deserved rest." Dr. Martin backed away and let Connor come over and help Wesley take Angel upstairs.

Just before they went in Angel stopped and shrugged off Connor and Wesley's support. He leaned against the door and took a few deep breaths as he steadied himself. He turned around to look at Wesley.

"Is all of the blood gone?" "Yes your all clean again." Wesley said. Angel turned around then and went into the bedroom.

Dr. Martin came over next to Cordelia. She was holding her daughter in her right arm. Angel sat down and looked at his daughter. "I feel like this is a dream and she is just wishful thinking. But I know she is real because I can smell her and I can hear her tiny heart beating." Angel ran his finger on her forehead then touched her little hand. Kathleen grabbed onto his finger. The new mother and father were staring at Kathleen when Dr. Martin saw Cordelia's eyes starting to close.

"Spike take the bassinet downstairs please. I think it would be best for all three of you to let the girls take care of Kathleen for now. You two need to rest for now. Don't worry about feeding Kathleen. She won't be hungry until this evening. I'll bring her up then and show you how to feed her. Would you take that downstairs Spike and I'll be down in a moment." When they left and Buffy closed the door Dr. Martin let Cordelia hold her daughter for a moment longer. "Go to sleep now Cordelia and we'll bring you something to eat when I bring Kathleen up." Angel and Cordelia gave their daughter a kiss then gave her to Dr. Martin. Buffy had made sure that the balcony enclosure was closed tightly and she had tested the locks. She also made sure that the drapes were closed before she left.

Dr. Martin brought her granddaughter downstairs. Everyone was at the dinning room table as usual. By now it was 2 in the afternoon and Dr. Martin hadn't even had breakfast. She was both hungry and tired.

"Ladies I am going to give you the privilidge of watching over Cordelia and Angel's brand new baby girl. I am going to make myself a sandwich and take it up stairs and then I am going to take a nap. Kathleen should sleep until tonight at least because she has had a long and difficult journey. Before I leave Connor would you like to hold your sister for awhile?"

"Yes, I thought you would never ask." Connor sat down at the end of the table where Dr. Martin usually sat. She laid Kathleen in Connors arms. "She's so tiny. How come Cordelia was so big?" "She had a lot of fluid in there also Connor. When we are in our mothers womb we float in water. The water helps to cushion the baby as the mother moves around. Remember when Cordelia got up to fast from the table and her stomach hit the underside of the table?" "Yeah, I remember she said that Kathleen gave her a good swift kick in her side." "Well that water that she was floating in protected her from getting hurt. If you go downstairs you can pick up the sheets that Cordelia was laying on when her water broke. You'll be able to get a good idea then of how much water she was carrying. Lets put her in her bassinet now." Dr. Martin went to the bassinet and grabbed the baby blanket which was one of the ones that Angel had bought in Ireland. She put it on the table then took Kathleen and put her on the blanket. She took her cap off and the coverings over her hands and feet.

"Look at that red hair everyone. I think she'll have beautiful green eyes also." "They look blue to me grandma." "Connor all baby's eyes are blue when they are first born. They get their natural color a couple of weeks or so later." Willow said. "Just think Dawn that Buffy will have one of these before long." "I know then I'll be Auntie Dawn." The girls all laughed. "Oh and Giles will be Grandpa Giles." Willow said and that brought another round of laughter. "Look at her tiny hands their so small and yet she has a powerful grip for something so tiny. I wonder if she'll inherit any of Angels powers like Connor did?"

Dr. Martin checked on the umbilical cord then pulled her sleeper nightgown down and wrapped her up again and placed her in the bassinet. "Won't she get to hot all bundled up like that and with a blanket on top also?" Connor asked as he bent over and continued to stare at his little sister. "You have to remember where she has been for the past 9 months Connor. She was in a constant temperature of 98 degrees. Okay ladies I am leaving her in your hands. Guard her well Connor. She will be your seer." Dr. Martin went into the kitchen then and made herself a sandwich. She poured some chips onto her plate also and grabbed a can of Cherry flavored coke and went upstairs for a well deserved rest.

Connor pulled the bassinet over by the TV and settled in for his tour of duty. The hotel was quiet right now. All of the mornings activities had worn everyone out. Dawn, Willow, and Tara were all babysitting as well. The girls fell asleep after a while but Connor kept watch over his little sister to make sure that no harm would come to her. Giles and Wesley were in Wesley's office having a sandwich and talking. Gunn had gone to check on his boys to see if there was any activity in the city. Xander had gone out to get some supplies to finish up several of the rooms on the top floor.

Angel woke up after two hours. He couldn't sleep even though he was so tired. He held Cordelia in his left arm and in his right hand he had his rosary. He started off by thanking God and His Son for the beautiful gift they had given him. While praying he realized that he hadn't heard Angelus's voice ever since Cordelia went into labor. He smiled at that when he remembered that Dr. Martin had ordered Angelus to leave him alone for the first 3 months after the baby was born. By the time he got to the 3rd decade of the rosary his eyes closed and he slept a deep, peaceful sleep. For the first time since he was turned Angelus was quiet also.

Cordelia woke up at 8 P.M.. She had to go to the bathroom so bad. She had to sit for awhile before her bladder emptied itself. It hurt to do it but Dr. Martin said that it would. She held onto the counter while she carefully cleaned herself. She flushed the toilet then washed her hands. It was slow going but she finally made it back to the bed. She lowered herself slowly to the bed then laid down and pulled the covers up around herself and Angel. It felt strange not having her large stomach in front of her. The phone was on Angels side so she shook him gently. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "What time is it Mommy?" Cordelia smiled. "According to your clock it is 8 in the evening Daddy." Angel gently pulled her down where he could reach her. He gave her a long passionate kiss.

Cordelia pulled her head back and studied his face. Angel looked back into Cordelia's eyes. She saw tears start to gather in his eyes. She wiped them gently with her finger. "Cordy I know I've said it before but I can't tell you enough how much I love you. My mother would have liked you. She would have welcomed you into the family and she would have been so proud of us for producing such a beautiful little girl. The sisters at the convent were right, we make beautiful babies together. He took her into his arms and kissed her lovingly and tenderly. He ran his hands around her back and up and over her breasts carefully. He wanted to touch and love the body that had given him his daughter. He pulled away and just looked at her.

"Thank you Cordy. Thank you for such a beautiful daughter. Thank you for going through so much pain for me. Thank you for loving me." "Your welcome Angel. Now would you call downstairs and tell them I am hungry and I want my daughter." Angel reached for the phone. Fred answered the phone. "Yes Angel." "Is Dr. Martin there?" "Yes she is right here do you want to talk to her?" "No, just tell her that Cordy is awake. We are hungry and she wants her daughter if you ladies are through with her." "Yes Angel we'll bring everything up including your daughter." Angel hung up the phone. He looked at Cordelia and found her sleeping again.

Thirty minutes later he was awakened again by the sound of someone knocking on the door. "Come in." Angel called out. He reached over to Cordelia and shook her gently. "Cordelia we have visitors." Cordelia woke up and Angel helped her to sit up against the head board. Dr. Martin brought Mary Kathleen in and put her in Cordelia's arms. She gave her daughter a kiss and let Angel do the same. When he pulled his head away from her Kathleen wiped her face with her little hands and gave a big yawn. Spike had brought the bassinet up and put it by Cordelia's side. Dr. Martin came over then and took Kathleen and put her in the bassinet so that Cordelia could eat.

Fred and Dawn came in with Cordelia's and Angels dinner and put them on their laps. "Wow what service. Thank you everyone." Cordelia said as she started to eat her hamburger and fries. She took a long drink from her glass of milk. Angel had been given the same thing along with a large glass of blood.

Fred and Dawn left as soon as they gave Cordelia and Angel their dinner. Spike and Buffy stayed. They let Cordelia and Angel eat most of their dinner before they said anything. "How are we feeling now?" Dr. Martin asked. "Better, a lot better. It's true what they say about the pain of delivery." "What's that Cordelia?" Buffy asked. "You forget the pain. The memory of having it still is there in your mind but you don't remember the actual experience of the pain. Do you understand what I mean?" "Yes. I can't remember the pain of child birth when I had my son but I do remember how I loved the marvelous little miracle." Dr. Martin said. They were quiet for a minute as though out of respect for Dr. Martin and the son she lost.

"Have you gone to the bathroom yet Cordelia?" "Yes I was able to go about an hour ago." "You did? Why didn't you wake me?" Angel asked. "I didn't need your assistance so I thought I would let you sleep."

"Are you ready now to feed your baby?" Dr. Martin asked as she took away the tray from Cordelia's lap and Buffy took Angels. "Common Spike let's let them have some privacy." "But I want to see how she does it." "You'll see all you want when we have ours. Now take that tray from Dr. Martin and lets go." "Yes Buffy." Spike took the tray from Dr. Martin. He gave them a look as though he suffered so much. "She can be such a bully sometimes but if I don't do what she says she won't let me see hers for a couple of days."

Dr. Martin closed the door after him. "Okay Mommy lets have our first feeding. Angel helped Cordelia to pull her nightgown off of her shoulders so that her breasts were exposed. Dr. Martin then showed her how to prepare her breasts to nurse. She then took some of the blankets off of Kathleen and gave her to her mother. Cordelia put her to her breast and Dr. Martin helped her to get Kathleen to take her breast the first time. Angel had his head over Cordelia's shoulder and was watching the whole procedure with fascination and interest. "Make sure her mouth covers all of the areola. If you can't get her to do it right away don't worry about it because she will soon catch onto the idea that, that is where her meals are coming from. Now you won't start producing milk for a couple of days but the colostrum will be providing her with what she needs right now. Your nipples are soft Cordelia so you have to give them time to toughen up. Let her nurse for only 2 or 3 minutes on one breast then change her to the other one."

Dr. Martin had a funny thought when she saw how Angel was watching the whole procedure. "See Angel, this is what they are really for and not just as your toys. You may find later on as Kathleen gets older that she may become very possessive of her mothers breasts. When she is nursing and you put your fingers on Cordelia's breasts she will push them away. Just remember that she is smaller than you and if you start fighting over Cordelia's breasts she will have to break it up and I think you know who she will side with."

Kathleen was busily suckling at her mothers breast. "Cordelia put your fingers on each side of your nipple to keep the rest of your breast from covering her nose. As she gets bigger you won't have to do that but right now she is too tiny."

After a short time at Cordelia's other breast Kathleen stopped suckling and was sleeping again. "She's stopped now." "Okay just try pulling her away and see if she starts again." "Cordelia did as she said and immediately Kathleen started feeding again. Cordelia let her continue until she fell asleep again then pulled her away. Dr. Martin took her and wiped her mouth then she gave Cordelia a special wipe to clean her nipple off. Then to Angels surprise she put a cloth diaper on Angels shoulder and gave his daughter to him. "Put her on your shoulder Angel and pat her back gently until she burps. Baby's take in air along with the milk but they need help to get rid of that air."

Angel put his daughter against his shoulder and gently patted her back. He was rewarded with a little burp. They all laughed and he gave her over to Dr. Martin again. She laid Kathleen on the bed and uncovered her so she could check her diapers and her umbilical cord. Everything was okay though and she bundled her back up and put her back in the bassinet. Cordelia had already put her nightgown back up and was yawning again.

"Once you start producing enough milk Cordelia you need to use a breast pump so that you can let Angel feed Kathleen. It's important that both of you feed her because it provides an opportunity for him to bond with his daughter as well. Let everyone in the group hold her once in awhile so that she will come to know everyone. That especially applies to Wesley."

"Why is Wesley so important?" Angel asked. Dr. Martin heard a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"It's not Wesley himself it's his glasses that she has to see. Babies that have never seen anyone with glasses on will be scared when they see them for the first time. That's why it's best to expose her to people who wear glasses early on. You two go back to sleep now and I'll see you in the morning or would you rather that I sleep on your couch tonight?" "No we will be all right Mom. After all your right down the hallway." Cordelia said. Dr. Martin gave Cordelia a kiss then went to the other side and kissed Angel goodnight also. She left them for the night then and turned the lights off and closed the door.

* * *

TBC...................................................... 


	14. Chapter 14

The Gift

Chapter 14

Cordelia woke up at 6 A.M. at the sound of Kathleen crying. Dr. Martin had left some diaper changing supply's underneath the bassinet so everything she needed was right by the bed. Angel woke up when he felt Cordelia get out of the bed to pick up Kathleen and the supply's.

He watched her take care of their daughter as she unhooked her diaper and carefully cleaned her. She put the new diaper on then bundled her up again. Angel held Kathleen while Cordelia went to the bathroom. For the first time he was alone with his daughter. He looked at her tiny body. He had handled newborns before but he had other ideas for them back then. Kathleen was so different from Connor when he was a baby. For one thing he was bigger and heavier where as Kathleen was smaller and more delicate looking.

Cordelia came out of the bathroom and checked the thermostat. It was 73 degrees in the room so she turned it up to 78. Since the drapes had to be kept closed the sun couldn't be allowed to come through the windows to warm the room up. She ran back to the bed and crawled under the covers. "Are you cold?" Angel asked. "Yes that's why I turned the heater up. How is she doing?" "She is hungry I think." "Okay baby I'm hurrying." Cordelia pulled her nightgown straps off and cleaned her breasts. She took Kathleen from Angel and put her to her right breast. Kathleen opened her mouth automatically when Cordelia put her nipple on Kathleen's lips.

Cordelia was leaning into Angels arm and rested her head against him once she had Kathleen settled. She was hungry and was contentedly nursing. Angel was watching her. No matter how much he looked at her and touched her he still had a hard time believing that she was really here. He was afraid that at any moment she would disappear in a puff of smoke and he would wake up to find that it was all a dream.

He was brought out of his day dream by Cordelia changing Kathleen over to her other breast. When Kathleen was settled into the other side Cordelia leaned back into Angels arm again.

"Angel have you thought of who we are going to ask to be her Godparents?"

"I was thinking of either Buffy and Spike or Willow and Giles. What do you think?" Angel said.

Cordelia was quiet for awhile. "I was thinking about Connor and Willow. But I don't know if it is okay to have Willow since she is Jewish. I think we are going to have to think about this more and I think talk to Fr. Barris and Mom." "Yeah I guess so. It's a little harder this time. How about Mom and Wesley?" "I think they would be perfect." Cordelia looked at her daughter and said "What better Godmother could you possibly have but your Grandma, and Wesley. Wesley will teach you all that you have to know about the world of demons and bad vampires and the difference between bad vampires and good vampires like your Daddy and Uncle Spike."

Kathleen was starting to fall to sleep so Cordelia pulled her away from her breast and cleaned herself. She cleaned Kathleen's mouth then gave her to Angel. "Okay Daddy you want to burp her?" Cordelia gave Angel a towel then gave him Kathleen. While Angel was working on getting her to burp Cordelia got up and went into the bathroom. The room was warmer now so she took her nightgown off and came out to the bed to put Kathleen back in her bassinet. She came around to the other side of the bed and pulled the covers off of Angel.

"Lets go and take a shower." Angel got up but went to the bassinet and pulled it over to the bathroom so he could keep his eye on her. They got into the shower and Cordelia washed all of the sweat out of her hair. When she was done she was feeling a lot better and amorous. As soon as Angel was done washing himself she flung her arms around him and kissed him. He gave her as much as she gave. Although they couldn't have intercourse they could do other things. Cordelia could feel her insides pulling up. It was as though she was having light contractions each time he touched her. Angel didn't have to hardly touch her and she was on her way to an orgasm. He changed his features and gave her a light bite on the side of her neck. She was so primed that when she exploded with the orgasm he had to put his hand over her mouth. He took just a small amount of blood from her then withdrew his teeth and licked the wounds clean. As Cordelia got control of herself she noticed that the water was getting cold. She gave him another kiss and then turned the water off. When they got out of the shower they dried each other off. Cordelia wasn't done though. As she dried Angel off she started kissing him again.

"What are you doing Cordy?" Cordelia was on her knees. "I am putting my education to work and taking care of Jr. at the same time. Since we can't have intercourse and you can't touch me in all the places you like to touch I am going to give you the next best thing. Now be quiet."

By the time Cordelia was done Angel had sunk to the floor and felt like he couldn't get up. All of the sex had actually made Cordelia feel better since it helped her uterus and everything else to be pulled back into their original position. Cordelia started to brush her teeth and fix her makeup. Angel in the meantime had finally found his legs again and started to shave and brush his teeth. He then started working on blow drying Cordelia's hair and she told him to put it into a simple ponytail. By the time they were dressed and ready to go downstairs Angel could hear others leaving their rooms and walking downstairs. Cordelia put some more supplies in the bassinet and then picked up Kathleen while Angel pulled the bassinet downstairs on the elevator.

Fred had already been downstairs for awhile and was just about done with fixing breakfast. She had stacks of pancakes in the oven that she had already made and their was a big pan full of bacon and sausages in one of the ovens. Melted butter was in gravy boats along with warmed pancake syrup. Eggs were also on platters.

"Good morning everyone." Angel and Cordelia said. When Fred heard them she came running out of the kitchen and gave Cordelia and Angel a hug. Then she took Cordelia by the arm and lead her to the end of the table where she had fixed up the chair with a soft pillow and flowers all around the corner. "This is for you Cordy. Today you are Queen for the day, and we all honor you as the mother of Mary Kathleen." She sat Cordelia down and gave her a kiss. Angel brought the bassinet over to sit between Cordelia and him. Fred gave him a kiss then she went back into the kitchen. Buffy, Willow, Tara and Connor went into the kitchen to get the platters of food. With thirteen people at the table it was a little crowded but they made it.

"Fred you are an excellent cook. That was delicious. Thank you very much." Giles said after he put the last of the pancake in his mouth. Everyone else said thank you also. Buffy got up then and started clearing the table. Fred started to get up also. "You sit down Fred, you've done enough. It won't take us to long since all the food was eaten. I'll make some more coffee and bring it out in a few minutes. I believe we have some more to do?" Buffy then turned and left with the last of the dishes. It only took them about 15 minutes to clean the kitchen and put the dishes in the dish washer. The coffee was done by the time they were done cleaning. Connor brought several table thermoses and placed them at each end and one in the middle. Cream, sugar and packages of sweetener was scattered through out the table. The men had all gone upstairs while the ladies were all cleaning the kitchen. They all had packages by them or on the table.

"Cordelia and Angel, we had planned to have a baby shower for Cordelia and the men were going to have a Daddy Shower for Angel but Mary Kathleen had other plans. So we decided to just go ahead and give you the gifts that we bought, made or are passing onto you. Fortunately we were able to get a list of all the things that you and Angel had already bought and what you still needed." Buffy said as she gave them the gift that Spike and her had picked out. One by one everyone else gave their gifts except for Connor and Dr. Martin.

When it came time for Connor to give a gift he came over and brought a chair over so that he could sit between Angel and Cordelia. Before sitting he went over to the bassinet and picked up his little sister and came and sat down. He held her in his hands like Angel did sometimes.

"Mary Kathleen, I don't know anything about this tradition of giving presents to or for a new baby so I didn't know what to do but I thought about it for a long time. I am giving you my most prized possession my little sister. I am giving you something that until recently I didn't know that I had to give until I saw how others here gave it to each other. Mary Kathleen Martin, my little sister, I give you my love. I promise to give up my life if I have to, to protect you. I promise to be a companion to you. I promise to play with you whenever I can. I want you to grow up knowing that you are loved and that Dad and I will go to hell and back for you." Connor gave his little sister a kiss on her forehead which she promptly wiped away with her little hands. He then gave her to Cordelia and gave her a kiss. "Thank you Cordelia for this Gift."

Connor then turned around and Angel stood up. They hugged each other and Angel gave his son a kiss on his cheek. Neither one could speak what they felt. They parted though and Connor went back to his chair with tears in his eyes as did Angel.

"I believe it's my turn now." Dr. Martin came down to the other end of the table and took the chair that was between Cordelia and Angel. She had two packages with her and she placed these on the table as she took her seat. She reached for Kathleen and held her close to her heart.

"Mary Kathleen Martin I am giving you 3 gifts two of which are not really from me but from Sr. Margaret. You don't know her but she helped to make you possible. She was a holy nun that gave God and Jesus her life and all of her love. Before she died she gave me two items that she wanted me to give you. Angel would you open the little box for me please." Angel unwrapped the small box and opened it. Inside was a solid gold crucifix.

Dr. Martin took it out and used a safety pin to pin it to Kathleen's blanket. "This was the only item that Sr. Margaret kept from her former life in the world. This will be a sign to everyone that Sr. Margaret is with you always and is your Guardian Angel." She reached for the second box then and Angel helped her by removing the lid. Inside was an old looking crucifix. "This crucifix was Sr. Margaret's also and she wanted you to have it. This was the crucifix that was in her room when she left this world. She held it in her hands many times because it gave her comfort. It has had thousands and thousands of prayers said before it. She gave it to you so that you would be reminded of what He sacrificed for you. Now I want to give you my gift. I am giving to your Mommy and Daddy a gift certificate that can be claimed at any time, except when I am in surgery, for 1,000 hours of baby sitting duty." Dr. Martin gave her granddaughter a kiss and then blessed her by making the sign of the cross on her forehead. Kathleen started to fuss then so she gave her over to Cordelia and gave her and Angel a kiss then went back to her chair.

When Dr. Martin sat down they heard the front doors open and close. Angel stood up when the person entered. He was very familiar with the scent of the person that came in. Wesley stood up also once the person came into view.

"Lilah."

"I've been wondering when Wolfram and Hart would come crawling out of the woodwork."

Angel said as he went to stand at the other end of the table. Dr. Martin saw his arm start to shake almost violently. He had to put his arm and hand between his belt and his back in order to keep Lilah from seeing it.

"Now is that a nice way to speak to someone that has come to greet the newest member of the AI team. It sounds as if you think that I have an ulterior motive." Lilah was drooling honey with her words and tone of voice. She started to walk over towards Cordelia but Angel blocked her progress.

"Angel I would just like to see your new baby." Lilah acted as though her feelings were hurt.

"Have a seat Lilah. Cordelia is feeding her right now so have a seat. How did you know about her?" "Oh it's a girl. Well congratulations, I bet she already has you twisted around her little finger." "Lilah! How did you know about her?" "Angel in all honesty I promise that I have no ulterior motive. This is information that only I have at this time. I happened to be at the local mall when I saw several of the people sitting at this table. They were discussing what they needed to buy for Angels and Cordelia's new baby. I also investigated all of the construction items that were purchased to refurbish the hotel and among those items were child proof safety devices. I've also seen all of the new additions to the balcony's that would prevent a child from accidently falling off of one of the balcony's. From there it was just a simple math problem of putting 2 and 2 together."

Lilah looked at Fred sitting next to Wesley.

"Wesley I see that you finally got what you have always wanted. Congratulations Mrs. Price. It looks like the better woman won. Even when Wesley was with me I knew that his mind was on you most of the time. You know Wesley that I really did love you."

"I know Lilah, but you loved what you did more, and since I refused to live on the side of evil and you found it impossible to live on my side of the tracks we both knew that a sustainable relationship between us was impossible." Wesley had stood up when Lila started to talk to him.

"He's married to Fred now Lilah." Angel moved to stand between Wesley and Lilah. Angel was surprised to actually see tears forming in Lilah's eyes.

Lilah looked at Angel then turned to look at Dr. Martin. Dr. Martin stood up as Lilah approached her. "I know you don't know me Dr. Martin but I am what is known as Angels enemy. I truly do want to just give the new baby a present. Since Angel won't let me near his daughter would you except this present for her from me. I promise that it is just a purely innocent gift." Dr. Martin looked deep into Lilah's eyes. I'll except your gift Lilah on behalf of Kathleen."

Lilah smiled at her and gave her the small package. Then turned to leave. "Wait a minute Lilah." she stopped and turned around. Dr. Martin went over to Cordelia and took Kathleen. Cordelia hesitated for a second. She looked at Angel. He gave her a nod that it was okay. "Don't let her touch my baby." Dr. Martin smiled at her and turned and went over to Lilah. "Lilah this is Mary Kathleen Martin."

Lilah didn't touch her but Dr. Martin opened the blanket so that she could see Kathleen. Lilah looked at her. "Cordelia and Angel she is beautiful. Congratulations. Thank you for letting me see her." Lilah turned and left then.

Dr. Martin watched her leave then. She felt very sad for her as she watched her go through the doors. She turned then and looked at Angel. "You more than anyone know that Christ is waiting for everyone to turn to him." Dr. Martin turned and looked at everyone. "No matter how bad the sin He is waiting for everyone to turn to Him and ask for forgiveness. He is waiting with open arms. His heart is overflowing with an infinite amount of mercy. Pray for her Angel, she doesn't have long before her soul will be lost to Him forever." Dr. Martin gave Kathleen to Angel then she left to go upstairs to her bedroom.

"Why do you think she is worth saving Mom. She is as evil as they come." Angel said as he stood there holding his miracle child. Dr. Martin stopped going up the stairs. She turned around and slowly came back to Angel. She very carefully took Kathleen and gave her to Buffy. Everyone's eyes were on Dr. Martin. What she did next shocked everyone. As she turned back towards Angel she slapped his face so hard that he actually staggered backwards. It wasn't so much from the force of the slap but it was more from the shock of what she did.

"Don't you ever say anything like that again. You don't know what is in her heart. No person that is capable of loving someone is evil. I know that you are all probably thinking that I don't know about all of the things that she has done but I do. Don't forget that I said I did a thorough investigation of you Angel. That included all of your enemies as well as your friends. I know about how she tried to get to you by hurting Cordelia. I know about her part in Connors abduction and if I couldn't find enough written about her I had Sr. Margaret and St. Michael to give me information. How dare you have the audacity to pass judgement on another human being."

Dr. Martin put both of her hands to her face. She was surprised at her own anger at Angel and how she had slapped him. She just turned then and went upstairs.

Everyone was quiet. "Wow was grandma mad at you. After seeing that I think I'll think twice about doing anything that will make her mad at me." Connor said as they all watched Dr. Martin go up the stairs. Angel didn't say anything, he just turned and quietly walked out to the back garden.

After a few minutes Wesley went out to the garden. He found Angel sitting in the furthest corner of the patio that was away from the sun. He sat on the steps that were close to him.

"Are you okay?" Wesley asked him.

"I know and you know how much Lilah has done to hurt us Wesley. She has frequently presented herself as the very personification of evil, but you must of found something good in her to love."

"I don't think I ever really loved her Angel. I think I found her to be a very beautiful woman that I had great sex with." Angel could tell Wesley's mind was going back to the times that he spent with Lilah.

"Was she really that great?" "Oh yeah. She liked roll playing also. You know she asked me to join Wolfram Hart. When I came back to working with the rest of you I told her that I couldn't live on her side, it was the side of evil and was everything that I fought against. Lilah's problem Angel is that she loves the money that she gets from doing what she does. It enables her to buy from the finest stores and she drives an expensive sports car. She had a very poor childhood and she is willing to do whatever it takes to put as much distance between herself and that poverty as she possibly can. But I agree with Dr. Martin though. Buried deep inside of Lilah is a good person that would like to come out. When we were together I often got to see that good person."

"I guess I better go and apologize to her. I tell you for such a little woman she can pack a lot of strength behind that hand." Angel was rubbing his jaw as he said it.

"By the way Angel you never told us what Cordelia was talking about when you and her were on the couch and you were massaging her feet and legs. She gave you permission to tell us about a school that her and Fred went to. I noticed how Fred was shaking her head when you were about to tell us. So what was it?"

"Cordelia said that I was only the second man that she had ever been with and her and Fred didn't know very much about what a man likes when they're having sex. One day they went to a Triple X theater and saw a couple of porno flicks and that was what she referred to as their day at school. I tell you Wesley that after she used her education on me Junior was very satisfied and she is getting better at it all of the time. In fact she took care of Junior just this morning, one day after having Kathleen. All I could do for her though was give her the special on her neck. Hasn't Fred used her education on you yet?" "No and I wouldn't ask her to either. I've heard that some women aren't comfortable with oral sex. When she's ready I am sure that she will do it. The sex was better with Lilah Angel but I love Fred where as I didn't truly love Lilah." "Have you ever had oral sex with Fred?" "I attempted to once but she didn't seem to be comfortable with it so I never tried again. Would you like me to talk to Cordy about it and ask her to talk to Fred?" "No, please don't say anything. When she is ready she'll do it. You better go and apologize to Dr. Martin Angel. You know how hard it is the longer you wait." Angel got up and left to go into the hotel again.

Just a few feet above them Fred, Cordelia and Buffy had been upstairs on Fred's balcony listening to the two men on the porch. When Wesley left they quickly went back into the bedroom where Kathleen was sleeping in the middle of the bed. When Cordelia and Buffy looked at Fred they could see that her face was beet red from embarrassment.

"So what are you waiting for Fred?" Cordelia asked.

"What is this all about anyway?" Buffy asked as she laid on the bed next to Kathleen.

"Neither Fred or I knew to much about the art of making love to a man so we went to one of those Triple X theaters to get some kind of education. When we were able to have sex I gave Angel a blow job, as they say. I made that boy so happy that he wasn't able to continue to stand. His legs gave out on him. We were in the shower at the time and he just sat on the floor of the shower. He asked me where I had learned to do that so I told him and he said he was giving me an A+." They all started laughing then.

"Fred why haven't you done it to Wesley yet?" Cordelia asked again. Fred saw both Cordelia and Buffy looking at her.

"I don't know Cordy. I just can't bring myself to do it. Even when he tried giving me oral sex I couldn't do it, I just froze." They were all quiet for a while. Kathleen woke up and Buffy picked her up and rocked her. Kathleen started to reach for Buffy's breast. "No, no, no. Those belong to Uncle Spike. I don't think he is ready to share yet."

"Fred have you seen the film that Morgan has?" Cordelia asked.

"No, I wanted to but I was to embarrassed to ask. Why?" "Well I have an idea that may help you get over your problem. Do you know if Wesley has a copy of the film?" Cordelia asked.

"No I don't think he does." Fred was curious now as to what Cordelia had up her sleeve. She had that smile on her face that told Fred that Cordelia was cooking up something that usually meant she was going to get her into trouble.

Cordelia reached for the phone and dialed Mirissa Morgans number. The phone rang several times before the Butler picked it up. "Morgan residence may I help you?" "This is Cordelia Martin is Mrs. Morgan available?" "Yes Mam, one moment please." A few minutes later Marissa answered the phone. "Hi Cordelia how are you doing?" "I'm doing pretty good. Dr. Martin told me to get up and start walking around as soon as possible. So when are you coming over to see our brand new daughter?" "We'll be there this evening around 6. Bobby and Tina want to come over to." "Marissa could you do me a favor and bring me 'The Film'. I have some plans for it tonight." "Sure Cordelia no problem." "Oh and Marissa lets keep this just between us." "Sure no problem. I'll see you this evening. Bye." Cordelia hung up then and turned to Buffy. "Did she go back to sleep yet?" "No I think she is hungry again."

"So what are you going to do Cordy?" Fred asked. Buffy and Fred where sitting on each side of Cordelia as she got ready to nurse Kathleen again. This was the first time that they were going to actually see her do it. Buffy was watching everything she did since it wasn't to long before she would have to do the same thing. When Buffy had Kathleen situated she finally turned to Fred and told her what she was planning.

"We are going to set you up for a hot date tonight Fred. You and Wesley are going to watch some hot porn tonight and along with some alcohol you should be ready to let all of your inhibitions go out through the window." "Have you seen the film Buffy?" Fred asked. "No, lets watch it before we turn it over to Fred and Wesley." "I wonder if you can see everything that you two were doing?" Buffy asked. "Angel said that you couldn't see everything and that's why Morgan had to ask what Angel was doing to me. Because Morgan had tried to do the same thing to Marissa and he didn't get the same reaction out of her."

Cordelia noticed that Fred was quiet. "Fred, sweety, if you truly love Wesley with all of your heart then you would want to make him happy. You would want the sex to be so hot for him that he wouldn't ever consider going to another woman. Now if you don't want to do it then all you have to do is leave the VCR off and leave the wine in the refrigerator. Okay?"

"Okay Cordy. Thank you for everything. Your just like the big sister I never had." Fred reached over and hugged her. Cordelia switched Kathleen over to her other breast and they sat for a while longer.

"I wonder if Angel has gone to apologize to Dr. Martin yet." Fred said. "I don't know, I haven't heard Angel in my head since just before Kathleen was born. I think the pain was to much for him at the end and he broke the link between us. He hasn't re-established it again yet."

"Cordelia I was with Angel and he was with you almost to the end. Do you remember calling for him when you didn't see him?" Buffy asked as she turned herself around so that she could face her. "Yes I remember. It was just before I delivered Kathleen." "Yeah well you couldn't see Angel because he was on the floor. I don't know whether it was the pain or something happened inside his head but when he fell backwards after passing out blood started coming out of one of his ears and his nose was bleeding."

"I didn't know. He didn't say anything to me about it." Cordelia was quiet then.

Angel approached Dr. Martins door and listened to see if she was asleep or not. He heard her heart beating at a normal pace so he knew she was awake. He knocked at her door. "Who is it?" Her voice was a little low and he could hear her blowing her nose. "It's Angel Mom." "Angel please don't come in. Would you please tell everyone that I would like everyone to meet in the lobby for a few minutes. I'll be down shortly." "Okay Mom." Angel left then to go down to Fred and Wesley's room.

Angel knocked at the door. Fred came and opened it. "Oh, hi Angel are you looking for Cordy?" "Yes and no, Dr. Martin wants all of us to meet in the lobby for a few minutes." "Okay we'll be there in a few minutes." Angel left then and went downstairs. He found Giles and Wesley in his office. Willow and Tara were in the Garden and Gunn, Connor, Spike and Xander were sitting on the couch in front of the big screen TV and playing games.

Everyone was asking what was up and all he could tell them was what Dr. Martin had said. They were all sitting around the lobby when Dr. Martin came down the stairs. They could all tell that she had been crying. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. She came to the middle of the room and looked to make sure that everyone was there that had been at the dinning room table when Lilah had come in. "Spike could I have your chair and you can sit in the chair that I usually sit in?" Spike got up and Dr. Martin pulled the chair in front of her.

Just as Spike sat down David Morgan and his wife came in along with Bobby and Tina. Right behind them Hunter and Dr. Thompson came in. "Would you just stand their for a few minutes everyone and don't say anything or I might lose my nerve." Dr. Martin said then she turned back to Angel.

"Angel would you please sit in this chair?" Angel got up and came and sat in front of her. Dr. Martin did something next that no one expected. She lowered herself to her knees and took his hands in hers.

"I wanted everyone here that was in the dinning room at the time so that they could hear what I am about to say. Angel I wanted to apologize for what happened this morning." Angel started to protest.

"No, please let me finish. I am not apologizing to you because I corrected you on what you said about Lilah. I am apologizing to you for slapping you and correcting you in front of your colleagues. I embarrassed you in front of your friends and colleagues when I should have never done that. I should have done it when we were alone. For that I am truly and deeply sorry. Now I have handed out punishment to you before for things that you did. I want you to do the same for me. Please don't refuse my request because you will then be trivializing my apology."

Angel thought about what Dr. Martin said. He looked into her eyes. He could see how serious she was and how much what she did bothered her.

Angel looked at her hands, he bent over and raised her hands then kissed the palm of each hand. "I could never hurt the hands that gave me my life back. I could never hurt the hands that so lovingly took care of me when I was crucified. I could never hate what these hands have done especially since they are the ones that helped to bring my daughter into the world. I will fulfill your request though to take action against you for what you did. You can refuse my decision if you want. Cordelia and Wesley would you come here please?" Wesley was surprised that Angel would want him to take part in Dr. Martins punishment. He kept his thoughts to himself though and came and stood behind Dr. Martin. Cordelia came and stood by Angel along with their daughter.

Angel stood up. "Please stand up Mom." He pulled her up and she stood with her hands still in his hands. "This is my decision. You may or may not see it as a punishment. Dr. Mary Tares Martin and Wesley Wyndom Price, Cordelia and I would like for you to be Mary Kathleen's Godparents."

Dr. Martin started to cry again along with the other women. "I accept your decision Angel." She reached for Kathleen and held her in her right arm. "I accept also Angel and Cordelia." Wesley said as he shook Angels hand and hugged him. He then turned to Cordelia and gave her a kiss on her cheek and hugged her. He turned back to Dr. Martin then and put his hand on her shoulder.

Dr. Martin gave Kathleen to Wesley. She turned then and hugged Angel and kissed him on his cheek. She then turned and did the same to Cordelia.

"Please come in everyone and meet our daughter." Angel said as he waived them all in.

Everyone came down the few steps to the lobby. Angel and Cordelia greeted everyone and received congratulations and gifts for Kathleen. They all sat down around the lobby by taking chairs from the dinning room table. It was rather crowded right now but they all fit in wherever they could find floor space. Morgan and his wife sat on the couch by Angel and Cordelia as she held Kathleen. Cordelia noticed Marissa staring at Kathleen.

"Would you like to hold her Marissa?" "May I Cordelia?" Cordelia handed her daughter over to Marissa. David looked over his wife's shoulder. He put his finger by her little hand. Kathleen grabbed it. "She is beautiful Angel and Cordelia. Look at how strong she is. I can actually feel her moving my finger around. She is going to flip me over any moment now." David was laughing at her. Marissa looked at her husband. She slapped his hand away then.

"You can make up stories like that when you hold our baby." Cordelia and Angel caught on to what Marissa had said but David was still playing with Kathleen.

"David did you hear what Marissa said?" Angel asked him. "Yes Angel I heard but I am afraid to ask her if what I think she said she did say. I am afraid that I misunderstood her and that it's just my own wishful thinking that is saying those things or my demon is teasing me." Marissa gave Kathleen back to Cordelia. She took David's hand and put it on her stomach. "You heard me correctly my husband. After 7 years one of your boys was finally able to get through and found my egg. I confirmed it with Mike today that I am 2 months pregnant." David took his wife into his arms and hugged her. Wesley brought a bottle of wine up from the basement and Fred and Connor brought as many glasses as they could carry. When all of the wine had been poured Wesley stood in the middle.

"Would everyone stand for a toast." Wesley said.

"Whoops! Wait a minute our three mothers need a different type of drink." Fred said as she took three wine glasses out of Cordelia's, Marissa's, and Buffy's hands. She went back to the kitchen and came out with milk in them instead.

"Now I would like to offer a toast so if everyone would raise their glasses. I offer a toast to Cordelia and Angel for their beautiful baby girl, and to Marissa and David Morgan that their baby will be as perfect a gift to them as Kathleen is to Angel and Cordelia." They all raised their glasses then and drank a toast. When they were done they all sat down again.

They were all quiet for awhile when Angel started to smell something. He bent over and sniffed towards Cordelia's direction. "Oh Mom. I think your punishment needs to start about now." He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. All of the other vampires did the same and put their hands over their noses. They were able to smell Kathleen's diapers before anyone else. Everyone else cracked up. Cordelia checked her daughters diapers. "Yes I just confirmed that we have nuclear waste material here."

Cordelia started to get up but Dr. Martin came over. "I'll clean her up Cordy you sit here and visit with your guests." Dr. Martin took Kathleen and went up stairs to Cordelia's bedroom.

Everyone was sitting around and just talking. Spike was with Dr. Thompson. They were discussing Cordelia's labor and delivery and Spike was telling Dr. Thompson that Cordelia had allowed him to put his hand in her so that he could check her cervix. Buffy was near by and she was watching Spike. Giles came over to her side. "Looking at him now you would never have guessed that he was once called William the Bloody." "No you sure wouldn't. Spike constantly amazes me at his capacity for love and tenderness. Whenever he talks to me about what he is doing with Dr. Martin or Dr. Thompson he is a completely different person." "Are you having any problems with the pregnancy?" "No not really. Why? Do you know something that your not telling me." "No, no. Your not the first Slayer to become pregnant Buffy, but you are the first one to become pregnant by a Vampire." "Are you afraid that something might happen to me or my baby since Spike is the father." "I'm not saying that something will happen I'm just saying that we have to be very cautious. If you should feel that something is wrong promise me that you will call Dr. Thompson right away." "I promise Giles, I promise." Buffy didn't say anything to Giles but she was thinking to herself 'I wasn't worried before but I am now. Thanks a lot Giles."

Giles pulled her into his arms then and hugged her. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to my little girl." Buffy looked up at him and smiled. They rarely showed their feelings for each other even though they felt like father and daughter.

Dr. Martin came down to the first floor by taking the elevator this time. Everybody looked her way when the doors opened. When she came out she saw everyone looking at her. "Don't worry everyone all nuclear waste has been disposed of and she smells like a brand new baby again." Dr. Martin brought her over and put her in the bassinet that was next to Cordelia.

"Hunter you want to check Angel now?" Dr. Martin asked. "Yes if it's convenient for everyone." Hunter had come over to see Kathleen along with Mike. She was bending over the bassinet. "She is perfect Angel, she is just simply perfect. Congratulations." Hunter said as she stood up. "Lets go now and check you out. Does your arm still shake when your under stress?" "Yes." "How about at any other time?" "I don't think so, at least not where I can remember." They had reached the clinic then and Dr. Martin turned the lights on.

"Get on the examination bed Angel." Dr. Martin told him. "No that's to high for me, it would be easier if he sat in a chair." Hunter protested. "Not to worry Hunter watch." Dr. Martin went over to the bed and stepped on a large bar that was at the base of the bed. She pushed it with her foot and the bed started to go down. "Tell me when." Dr. Martin was having fun showing off her new equipment. "When." Hunter said when it was just at the right level for her. Hunter was about the same height as Dr. Martin so she understood how valuable this adjustable bed was.

Dr. Martin came over to the left side of the bed and pulled out a short platform. "This is what I use when Spike is helping me that way he doesn't have to be bending down so much. And Xander made it so that it is the same length as the bed. That way I don't have to be balancing on a small stool or something. Get up here Angel." Dr. Martin patted the bed. Angel came and sat down. Their was a tray of instruments that Dr. Martin thought Hunter might need. "Take everything off from the waste up Angel." Hunter told him. Cordelia had followed them in and she came and took his shirt and t-shirt from him.

Hunter went through a series of tests. She was probing his spinal column when his arm started shaking again. She ran her hands up his back and started to massage the shoulder muscle that she could see was literally jumping. "Are you experiencing any pain Angel?" "Yes." "Okay I am going to be pushing my fingers around your spine. Tell me when the pain lessens or increases." "Okay."

Instead of starting at the top where Dr. Martin thought she would Hunter started probing from the bottom by his waste. Although she was pushing hard Angel showed no reaction to her probing. When she got up to between his shoulder blades she stopped. "Okay Angel I've eliminated any problems from your lower back. Hold on now because I think I might hit the right spot from here on up."

Hunter started to feel his spine. She was looking for any swelling or a vertebra out of place. Normally a doctor would take several x-rays to see where the problem was but since Angel couldn't go to a normal hospital Hunter was doing it by touch just as she had reset his spinal column when he had his back broken in Sunnydale 5 years before.

Dr. Martin went over to Mike. "Why is she doing it like that instead of taking x-rays at your office?" "It's down right now and it won't be fixed until next week." "Oh, well I guess that's just as good an excuse as any." She smiled at him then went back to observing what Hunter was doing. Hunter was almost to the top of the spine. She pressed in on the next vertebra and Angel let out a yell. "My God, I think you hit the right one." Angel was breathing hard and rapidly.

"Can you give me a marker that can't be wiped away?" "Yes, I'll get the laundry marker for you." Cordelia went to her desk and pulled out the marker and went back to the clinic. Hunter took the marker and marked the spot where Angel had given her a reaction when she touched it. She then continued probing higher up his spine until she came to the base of the skull.

"You can put your clothes back on Angel." She then went and talked to Dr. Martin and Dr. Thompson while Cordelia helped Angel put his clothes back on.

After about 15 minutes Hunter came back to Angel and Cordelia. "Okay Angel here is what has happened to cause your arm to shake when your under stress. Basically what you are suffering from is whiplash. It just affected you a little further down then it usually hits. When you are experiencing stress your muscles tend to bunch up and become ready for action. When they are doing this they are pulling at the vertebra which then causes the pad that goes between each vertebra to swell. The swelling then presses on the nerve that controls your arm. You don't have any problem using your arm when it's shaking do you?" "No not at all." "Well the cure can be simple or complicated. If we take the hard way then it will fix things fast. If we do it the easy way it will take longer." Dr. Martin brought over a bottle of water and a bottle of regular aspirin. Hunter took 2 out and gave it to Angel. "Take these now and two every 4 hours. They will help to bring the swelling down."

"That simple?" Angel swallowed the aspirin as he drank the water. "What's the more complicated way that will solve the problem faster?" "Stronger drugs with possible surgery as a last resort. But I think this will eventually solve the problem. When you have the time you can help it by putting an ice pak on the spot that I have marked. That will make the swelling go down faster. Dr. Martin and Thompson said that when Cordelia was in labor and about to deliver you started bleeding from your ear and your nose. I am going to tell you why I believe it happened by telling you a little story. A thousand years ago I treated a vampire. The link that he had to his most current childe caused him to bleed like you did. The human that he had turned was close to delivering her baby. When that Vampire turned the woman he became linked to her and he went through labor with her just like you did. When she came to the actual delivery he started bleeding from one of his ears and his nose also. If he had been human he would probably of died. What he did do was have a stroke as a result of the intense communication that he had with her. That was when I found out that our demons cannot heal our brains. If they are damaged then that's it. We don't die we just exist with the damage. Because of this Angel you have to make sure that you break the link with Cordelia when she goes into labor the next time she is pregnant. You were just lucky this time." "What happened to the vampire?" Angel asked. "I took care of him for almost 100 years. Then one day he was able to ask me to kill him. He said to me 'Kill me, I don't want to exist like this anymore. I will never get better. Please kill me.' Like you though Angel because I had a conscience I couldn't do it. What I did do though was leave a wooden stake on the tray next to his bed. I was hoping that if he was able to eventually reach for that stake then he would realize that he could get better if he worked on it. But he was tired of his existence and he eventually grabbed that stake and plunged it into his own heart."

Hunter turned to Dr. Martin. "I noticed that Angels body temperature has gone up slightly. Is he becoming more human?"

"Yes but only in very small increments and very slowly. Plus Angelus is having fun with him. His spine should have healed and it hasn't. I guess he thinks it's pretty funny letting his arm shake like that."

"You can get down now Angel. Cordelia I think I hear Kathleen crying." Dr. Martin told them.

"Mike could you excuse us for awhile. I want to talk to Dr. Martin." When everyone left she turned to Dr. Martin. "Do you mind if I call you Mary?" "No, that's okay." "Mary is there someplace we can talk in private that is a long distance from Vampire ears?" "Sure follow me. I have a room that is up on the 4th floor that I use as my psychiatrist office." Dr. Martin took Hunter upstairs where they stayed for the next 2 hours.

Mike and Angel were constantly watching the stairs and elevator doors. Cordelia had been talking to Marissa and David when they said that they had to leave.

"Hay Bobby, we're going now. Are you ready?" "Yes Mr. Morgan." Bobby took Tina's hand and they said good bye to everyone.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Willow yet Bobby?" "Yes but she said that I had to talk to Angel first." "You want to do that now?" "Yes, can you postpone leaving for a few minutes?" "Sure Bobby. We'll just sit here until your ready." David and Marissa sat down again while Bobby approached Angel. He was still holding Tina's hand while he approached Angel.

"Uh Mr. Martin, uh Angel could I speak to you for a second." Angel sat up straight when Bobby approached him.

"Sure Bobby, would you like to go into my office?" "No sir that's okay." Bobby didn't say anything at first. Angel could tell that he was real nervous so he just gave him the time he needed to get up his nerve.

"Uh Angel I would like to be given my soul back like you did for Mr. Morgan. Tina has agreed to have my baby but I don't want my child to have a father that doesn't have a soul and will end up in hell. I want to have what you and David have. I want a family. I want someone to love me like you and David have Marissa and Cordelia." Bobby was down on one knee in front of Angel and this grabbed everyone's attention.

"Please Bobby, go and sit down. I'll be back in a few minutes." Angel stood up then and headed for his office. "Giles and Wesley would you join me please?"

When Giles and Wesley came in he asked them to sit down and close the door. "Did you guys hear what Bobby was asking me?" "Yes Angel, I told Willow to tell him to ask you." Giles said.

"Why did you tell her that?" Angel asked as he sat back in his chair.

"I told her because I am afraid that something bad might happen if too many Vampires are given their soul back within such a short amount of time. All that is happening around you Angel is bound to get some ones attention, and I think it will be in the demon world and I think they will be royally pissed. You being given your soul back wasn't so bad because you were cursed with that Happiness Clause which I am sure made them very happy. Now then Spike got his soul back but that was well over 100 years after you. Now we have David and now Bobby wants his soul back. When Willow does this spell Angel it causes a loud noise that Willow and all Witches around the world can hear. But I promise you Angel that they are not the only ones that are hearing it. Someone is going to come forward sooner or later to complain. Someone is going to be held accountable for it and I am afraid that it just might be Willow or even Dr. Martin."

"Why Dr. Martin? She hasn't had anything to do with it." Angel asked.

"Angel you are a prize that the forces of good and evil have been fighting for. Their were times when the side of evil almost won until Willow brought you back. But now with Dr. Martin helping you, you have permanently won your right to stay on the side of good. I am sure that they are not to happy with her, because you are permanently lost to them. Think very carefully about this Angel before you decide to have Willow give Bobby his soul back." Wesley was very serious when he told Angel all of this. He was truly afraid that they would lose someone in their group.

"Would you leave me for a minute guys and tell Cordelia I want to see her in here. Thank you for all of your advice."

A minute later Cordelia came in and sat on the couch. Angel stood up and sat on the couch next to her. He told her all that Giles and Wesley had told him. When he was done he gave her time for all of it to sink in. Then he told her 'Cordelia I want to ask Willow to give Bobby what he wants because I don't think that I have the right to deny him his soul if it is within my power to give it to him. If there are any dues that must be paid then I will pay them."

Cordelia had her head down and was crying. But then she grabbed a Kleenex from the box at the end of Angels desk. She blew her nose and wiped her tears away.

"Angel I went into this marriage knowing that their would be times like this and that their was always the possibility that I could lose you. But I know that we will be together for at least another two babies, and when we leave this world we will be together in the next." They hugged each other then and Angel kissed her over and over again. He got up then and went out into the lobby while Cordelia stayed in his office. She didn't want Bobby and Tina to see that she had been crying.

"Willow would you wait for another 2 hours and then perform the spell that will give Bobby his soul back." "Sure Angel. Giles has told me everything that he told you and I want you to know that I feel like you do. We have no right to deny anyone the chance to be as happy as you and Cordelia are and the chance to go to heaven." Angel hugged Willow and thanked her.

Bobby came over and thanked Willow and Angel. Then David and Marissa said their goodnights and left with Bobby and Tina. A few minutes later Hunter and Dr. Martin came out of the elevator. Hunter and Mike gave their goodnights to everyone and then left.

Dr. Martin noticed that everyone was quiet. "What's wrong, everyone is so quiet. Where is Cordelia Angel?" Cordelia came out from Angels office then and went to get here daughter. I am going to bed Angel. Goodnight everyone. Tell everyone what happened Angel. They have the right to know. Goodnight Mom." "Goodnight Cordelia." Dr. Martin didn't ask any questions. She knew Angel would tell her if he wanted her to know.

"Come over and have a seat everyone." Angel said as he sat in his regular chair. When everyone was seated he explained what had transpired. Before leaving he wrote down Bobbies full name on a piece of paper and gave it to Willow. "I think I will go and try to get some rest now. Willow I'll join you in two hours in the lobby. Goodnight everyone." They all said goodnight to him as he went up the stairs. Willow went up a few minutes later to try and get some rest and gather the things that she would need to perform the spell.

Angel went up to his room and took a shower, but instead of getting into bed he went and sat on the balcony and pulled out his rosary and started to pray. Cordelia came over with a blanket around her and sat with him. She pulled her own rosary out and they prayed to the only person that could help them at this time. When Angel was done he looked over at Cordelia. She was sound asleep. He picked her up and carried her to the bed and put her under the covers. He turned the dim night light on and checked his daughter. She was sound asleep also. He turned the night light out then went out of the room as carefully as he could.

When Angel went downstairs he found Willow, Tara, Giles and Buffy downstairs. She was just waiting for the 2nd hour to end since Angel had requested that she perform the spell. She knew that he wanted to give Bobby time to get home. Wesley came down in a few minutes to assist also. The men stood around Willow, Tara and Buffy. Willow checked her watch then started the spell. Giles and Willow had translated the spell into English some time ago so it went easier this time.

Willow was saying the last line of the spell. Willow and Tara both heard the loud bang that no one else could hear. When she was done she blew out the candle. They waited. Nothing happened for the next 30 minutes. Then they could hear a thunderstorm in the distance. The thunder became louder and louder as it approached the Los Angeles basin.

Exactly one hour later a lightening bolt hit the center of the lobby and everybody duct as people often do when they hear something loud. They all stood up then and looked around to see what damage the lightening bolt had done. Buffy and Tara found that they were the only ones left in the lobby. They ran upstairs to check on Dr. Martin and found that she was gone also. Cordelia, Fred, Connor, Xander, Dawn and Gunn where still in their beds. Spike had thrown on some jeans and was checking the rooms also. They knew what had happened.

"All we can do now is wait. Nothing we could possibly do would help them. We just have to wait.

TBC...


	15. Chapter 15

The Gift

Chapter 15

They all landed on a wooden floor and when the smoke cleared they were able to see their surroundings. They found that they were in what appeared to be a modern day court room. Angel was in the middle and standing in front of the judges bench. A woman screamed behind him. He turned around to see who was here. What he saw was Dr. Martin all wet, covered in soap, and nothing else. She had apparently been snatched from her shower. "My eyes, I have soap in them." Willow was standing close to her and she said a spell that created a small storm cloud over her which washed away all of the soap. Angel started to take his shirt off to cover Dr. Martin with. "That's okay Angel I can give her something to wear." Willow said another spell and Dr. Martins blouse and skirt appeared on her. Since she was still wet though her breasts could be seen through the material. "Giles could you give her your jacket for awhile. She needs a little more protection for now." Giles came over and put his jacket on Dr. Martin. "Thank you Willow and Giles. I feel much better now."

Giles stayed by the women. He didn't know what protection he could provide but he could at least provide moral support. He looked over at Angel. Giles noticed his arm starting to shake but then Angel put his hand in his pant pocket. They all started looking at their surroundings. Normally you would see pictures of Presidents on the walls but in here they had pictures of past demons in the history of the world. One of which was Hitler.

When five men came out of the door to the side of the judges bench it brought their attention back to the front and center. Two of the men went to stand on either side of the bench while 3 of them went to the judges bench. The two men that were standing on the side had automatic weapons and nasty looking knives in their belts.

The judge in the center struck the gavel against the desk and said "This court is now in session. You are the Vampire known as Angel are you not?" "Yes." Angel answered.

A complaint has been filed against you. This complaint consists of the following.

1. Giving established vampires their souls upon their request.

2. Giving established vampires their souls as a means of vengeance.

3. The killing of Vampires as they do what is normal for them in order to obtain nourishment.

4. Helping the Slayer to kill your own kind as they come out of their grave.

5. The killing of demons as they go about their daily business, whatever that may be.

These complaints have been filed against you by a law firm that includes many demons and vampires as their clients. The firm of Wolfram Hart has filed this complaint against you for one of their clients who wishes to remain anonymous because he fears for his safety. Do you have anything to say about these complaints?"

"Yes I do. I am guilty of all of these charges. What I would like to know is why are my colleagues here. Anything that they have done they did at my direction. Why is Dr. Martin here? She has done nothing against any vampire or demon."

"But she has done something Angel. You are a very valuable commodity in yourself. When she came to your hotel and helped you to find your humanity again and helped you to have your soul to be made permanent and made it possible for you to be a fighter for the other side you were then permanently lost to our side."

"That was me personally that she helped and I was already fighting for the PTB. Besides she was ordered to come and help me and was only following St. Michael's orders."

"That is true. We will remove her name from the list of the accused. Remove Dr. Martin from the court room please." Before Dr. Martin could say anything she disappeared.

A second later Dr. Martin found herself in her bedroom. She ran down stairs where she knew people must be gathered. Fred and Buffy hugged her. She then went to Connor and Spike.

"Where is Cordelia?" Dr. Martin asked. Spike answered her question. "We didn't want to disturb her when all it would do is upset her. Besides I think that she already knows that something was going to happen. When she went into Angeles office he told her what Giles and Wesley had said to him and he told her what he was going to do, I could hear her crying."

"I think I'll check on her later." Dr. Martin said. She then explained to everyone what happened and what Angel had said in order to get them to release her. A few minutes later Willow showed up and she told everyone how Angel had said that she was only doing what he or someone else had asked her to do.

"I guess all we can do is wait again. What do you think they'll do to him Spike?" Dr. Martin asked.

"All I can say is the last guy that went before that court didn't live long after they sent him back." Spike said.

"Can't we find where they are having this court and rescue them?" Buffy asked Spike. "No Luv they hold court in another dimension. No one has ever been able to find them."

Giles was the next one to appear in the middle of the lobby. After hugging everyone he gave his account as to what happened after Willow left. "Willow get on the computer and start researching 'Court of the 4th World'. I am going to go through what ever books Wesley may

have." "What happened after I left Giles?" Dr. Martin asked.

"Angel would make a very good lawyer. He argued about everything that they accused me of. What it came down to was the fact that Buffy and I were only doing our job. It wasn't something that we could choose to do. I don't think that Wesley is going to be let off though. He works with Angel by choice and frequently advises him. I believe it's going to be very hard on him Dr. Martin. Do you want to take him to a hospital?"

"Yes it would be best. When he is sent back here we'll see how he is. Your going to have to get your story straight though as to what happened to him."

Meanwhile at court Angel was arguing why they should let Wesley go.

"This court has looked over the statements from the client as to what each and everyone of you has done. It seems that everything that the client accuses you of is correct. It's true that during the majority of the time Mr. Price does take orders and requests from you. This court also understands that at one time for a short length of time he ran the office of Angel Investigations. This proves to this court that Mr. Price does the work he does of his own free choice. This court though will take it under consideration that the majority of the time Mr. Price follows orders from Angel.

Angel and Mr. Wesley Wyndom Price you have heard the charges against you, how do you plead?

Angel how do you plead?" "Guilty as charged."

"Wesley Wyndom Price how do you plead?" "Guilty as charged."

"Do either one of you want to make a statement before judgement is passed?"

"I've said all that I have to say. I will fight those evil demons and vampires that populate this world until the day that I go before God for my final judgement. Those vampires that want to stop killing humans will always be able to come to me for help. I will never turn away anyone that wants my help. I am one of God's champions here in this world and I am following my Bosses rules. I only ask that you send Wesley back unharmed."

"Mr. Price do you have anything to say?"

"No, I think Angel has said all that needs to be said."

The three judges then discussed together what their punishment would be.

Fifteen minutes later the center judge slammed the gavel on the desk several times.

"The accused shall rise."

Angel and Wesley stood up together.

"Angel and Wesley Wyndom Price you have admitted to your guilt on all charges. Angel your sentence will be 30 to 60 minutes of high voltage electrocution. Mr. Price your punishment will be the same but only 15 minutes. This punishment will not be enough to kill either one of you but may cause extensive damage. You will be given jolts of electricity for 5 minutes straight and 1 minute of rest in between each 5 minute session. Angel if we do not see enough damage from 30 minutes of electrocution then it will be extended until 60 minutes have passed. Punishment will commence immediately." The judge slammed the gavel once then put it down and the 3 judges walked out of the court room.

Twenty guards came in and walked Angel and Wesley down to a lower room which they guessed was the basement. As they walked them down stairs Angel whispered to Wesley, "Keep telling yourself that you have to get back to Fred. You will be alright Wesley don't forget that Dr. Martin said that you and Fred would have 2 children. Since that hasn't happened yet then that means you will come out of this okay."

The guards pushed them into a large room with what looked like old metal mattresses with all of the material taken off. Wires were hooked up to the mattresses and metal cuffs for the hands and the feet. Their was enough space in the room for all of the guards to enter the room. The guards were all demons from various places and dimension. They all knew that Angel was a Master Vampire and were anxious to see how he would take what was going to happen to him. They were all also hoping that he would try something so that they could have some fun with him. Five of the guards were females and the male demons suggested that they play with them a little to try to antagonize them into a fight.

"Take all of your clothes off including your watches and wedding rings. If you don't remove everything they will catch fire and your rings may melt." Wesley and Angel removed everything and left them in a pile to the side. Since Wesley usually wore his glasses all of the time he didn't think of removing them and no one said anything.

The female demons approached Angel and Wesley. They circled them as though appraising a horse for future purchase. Just like a horse they ran their hands all over Angel and Wesley. They tried making remarks about them that was designed to make them angry.

The female guards changed their tactics in mid stride and started saying things that would make their boyfriends jealous. All of this was obvious to Wesley and Angel. They had both had these little games played on them before. They were quickly able to figure out who the boyfriends were because instead of Wesley and Angel getting angry and attacking the guards the two boyfriends attacked Wesley and Angel. After eliminating several guards four of them held onto Angel and let the boyfriend beat him. Wesley was getting the same treatment. "Now that you two are properly tenderized the real punishment will commence."

The four guards holding onto Angel locked his arms and ankles to the metal mattresses while the others had their automatic weapons ready in case he tried anything. Wesley had already been locked in.

"Put the tongue guards in their mouths. They'll keep them from making too much noise and prevent them from biting their tongues." The guards taped what looked like pacifiers into their mouths.

"Now just to make sure that you suffer enough Angel we are going to put a few more pieces of metal into your body." The guard stepped back and fired 6 well placed bullets into his body. None of them were life threatening, especially for a vampire but they were well placed where the electricity would hit them and make the damage from the electricity worse.

The guards stepped back and the technician at the board waited for the clock to reach the hour mark. When it did he turned two switches on. Wesley screamed as the electricity went through his body. Angel shook with the electricity but he did not scream. After the 5 minutes was up they both were breathing heavily. The metal from Wesley's glass frames had melted into his skin.

One of the guards stepped forward. "Well I guess the vampire needs a little extra incentive." He turned to one of the other guards, "Let's give him a reason to scream." The other guard threw a bucket of water on Angel. The guard at the controls flipped the switch again. This time the guards got what they wanted. Angel lost control and screamed. His face changed to his vampire features also. This went on for the next 12 minutes. By the end of Wesley's 15 minutes he was unconscious. The smell of burnt flesh and hair was in the air. Angel only had a minute to look over at Wesley. He thanked God that he was unconscious.

The guards were having too much fun with Angel to let it stop at 30 minutes. Even though his skin was showing 2nd degree burns they continued with the electrical shock until they reached the 60 minutes that the judge set as the maximum amount.

Neither Wesley or Angel knew when they were sent back to the hotel because both were unconscious. Everyone was still up when they appeared on the lobby floor. Even though Cordelia hadn't been downstairs she knew when they returned because she came running downstairs.

Dr. Martin and Spike were checking on both of the men. They both had extensive burns over all of their backs. Wesley had 2nd degree burns and Angel had 3rd degree burns since he was electrocuted for a longer period of time. The hair on the back of their heads had been burned away in patches wherever the metal had touched them. Wesley had blisters all over his back. The palm of his hands had been bleeding at one time because of the pressure of his nails into the skin.

Spike took the pacifiers out of Wesley and Angels mouth.

"Why did they have those in their mouths?" Cordelia asked Spike.

"It prevented them from biting their own tongue or swallowing it." Spike answered.

Dr. Martin was worried about getting Wesley's heart to go into a more regular rhythm right now. The beat was erratic and his heart was not pumping the blood through his veins correctly which meant that his brain wasn't getting the needed oxygen rich blood that it needed.

"Spike can you Buffy and Giles carry Wesley over to the clinic please." Dr. Martin asked him. Fred who was right beside them followed them into the clinic. "Hook him up to the heart monitor Spike."

Dr. Martin checked on Angel when they left. Xander came down from the upstairs closet which contained extra blankets, sheets and towels. He had grabbed two sheets and two blankets. One blanket and sheet he gave to Fred and the others to Cordelia.

Dr. Martin called for Spike. He came running out of the clinic to her. "I want you to call Hunter. Tell her what has happened and ask her to ask Mike if he has anything in his clinic for burns. Wait a minute lets ask Willow if she can do anything." Spike went to Willow who was with Fred.

"Willow do you have anything that you can mix together that is for burns?" "No, Tara do you know of anything?" "No I never studied the healing magic spells we'll have to call one of the healers." "Okay why don't you do that and I'll go and see if I can help Dr. Martin."

Willow went over to Dr. Martin who was still on the floor with Angel and Cordelia. "How's he doing?" "Well he's still alive. His pupils are equal and reactive. He is showing some healing but it is very slow. I am going to get a bowl of ice and a towel. Well see if that helps him. Do you have anything that can help with burns Willow?" "No but Tara is calling the healer in Sunnydale to see if she knows of anything." Angels legs and arms started jerking by themselves. He did it for five minutes then stopped.

Tara came over to Willow with a recipe for an ointment for burns and a spell that had to be said over the ointment. "Cordelia do you have any of these ingredients here." Willow showed her the list of ingredients that they needed.

"We have some of these in the cabinet in the kitchen. The rest might be in the cabinet that Angel keeps locked ever since I went into it and took some leaves of a plant that I thought was oregano. He keeps the key with his car keys and usually keeps the car keys in his pants pocket though." Cordelia started looking around to see if their clothes were returned at the same time that they were. She found Angels over on the floor by the round couch. Wesley's were on the other side. She went to Angels clothes and searched his pockets. The keys were there just like she thought. "Common Willow lets see if he has what you need."

Cordelia checked the list and started pulling out ingredients that were on the list then they went to the basement and into a wire locked cabinet. "This is great Cordelia he has everything else that I need in here." Willow said as she started pulling everything else that was on the list.

While Willow and Tara were mixing up the ointment for the burns Dr. Martin and Cordelia were applying ice cold towels to all of Angels body that had touched the wires. Spike was doing the same for Wesley. Wesley moaned in pain as he regained consciousness and Spike applied another towel. He tried moving a little but his body started jerking again, it quieted down again within a few minutes. They had him lying on his stomach so he couldn't look around very well. He recognized the clinic though and he called out for Fred.

"I'm here Wesley, I'm right here." She cleared his hair out of his eyes. Wesley was able to take her hand in his. "As they were taking us to the prison Angel told me to think of you and that we still had 2 babies to make which meant that I would live through this. All the time that they were electrocuting me I kept your face in my mind and I kept on telling myself I had to get back to you." Wesley kissed Fred's hand. She tried to keep her usual smile on but it was difficult. She could see his back red and white with all of the blisters that had formed on his skin.

Angel was still unconscious and still on the floor when Tara and Willow came out with the ointment. They each held a large bowl full of the stuff. Tara went into the clinic and Willow went to Angel. "We should get Angel to his bed Dr. Martin before we put this ointment on." Hunter and Dr. Thompson came in just as Dr. Martin was getting up to go to the men. Hunter went to Angel and Dr. Thompson was directed to go into the clinic by Dr. Martin.

Dr. Thompson examined Wesley's back while Spike told him what happened. Tara told them that they had to put Wesley in his bed before they put the ointment on. "Okay Spike lets take the glass frames off while we are here. We need to make him sleep though. Get something that will make him sleep for a good 8 hours at least." Spike went to the medicine cabinet and pulled out something to make Wesley sleep. After 10 minutes Wesley was out and Dr. Thompson started to cut away at the frames that had melted into his skin. When he was done he put a few stitches in and bandaged the area. They then put him on a gurney and wheeled him to the elevator and then to his bed room. Fred pulled the covers down all of the way and the men transferred him to his bed. Spike placed towels on both sides of Wesley's body then started to apply the ointment. When he was done he backed away and Tara came over and put her hands over Wesley's back and started to say the spell that the Healer had given her. When she was done Dr. Thompson came over and checked the ointment. It had a look of a plastic covering like Saran Wrap.

"Tara we can't leave this on the skin needs to breath in order to heal properly." "Oh it will Dr. Thompson. The Healer said that it will protect the skin from bacteria and yet let the skin breath and the air will be able to get to the skin. It's kind of like a very fine screen mesh that lets air pass through but not bacteria." Wesley gave an involuntary jerk again.

"Why does he do that Dr. Thompson?" Fred asked. "His body is still dealing with the electricity that was used on him. It should become less and less with time. By tomorrow you should hardly be able to see it. Can we cover him now?" "Yes the ointment will protect him." Tara said. "Lets go Spike and Xander we need to help Dr. Martin with Angel."

They all went downstairs except for Fred. She closed the door behind them and pulled up a chair to the bed and settled herself down for the night so that she could keep watch over her husband.

The men brought the gurney back down and pulled it up next to Angel. "Lets take him to his bed." Hunter told them. The men carefully lifted Angel and put him on the bed and took him up to his room. With all of the noise Kathleen woke up and started crying. Her cries called out to Angel and he regained consciousness. Whenever he was touched he let out a moan. Cordelia pulled down the covers all of the way so that even his feet would be uncovered. Hunter put the ointment all over Angels back and Willow then said the spell over him. Just like it had done on Wesley it became harder yet pliable and they were able to cover him with the sheets and blanket. Dr. Martin gave him a shot then that would make him sleep for the next 8 hours. Cordelia took care of Kathleen then laid down beside Angel. Dr. Martin got a blanket and went to sleep on the couch. She sent Dr. Thompson and Hunter to sleep in her bed since she was going to spend the night watching over Angel.

Even though Angel slept his body still jerked once in a while. His muscles would tighten up and then relax every so often and he would moan from the pain. Cordelia didn't sleep very much because Kathleen was constantly waking up and crying every time Angel moaned in his sleep. When he settled back into a deep sleep Kathleen would go back to sleep also.

It was 12 noon before anyone started getting up. While Mike was taking a shower Hunter put one of Dr. Martins bathrobes on and went to check on Angel. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. Dr. Martin came to the door.

"Good morning Hunter." "Good afternoon Mary. How is our boy doing?" "I don't know, I just woke up and I haven't been able to check him yet." They both went to the bed and Hunter turned the light on and lifted the covers off of his back. To Dr. Martins surprise the ointment that had been put on last night had started to shrink as it dried up. Along with the ointment it was pulling the dead skin that had been burned. Underneath new skin was growing. They could see the fine lines that looked like electricity dancing over the skin. They covered him back up and left the room before talking.

"I've never seen him heal so fast. He must be planning on looking for this court that tortured them. I think Angelus must be working hard to make sure that Angel gets to do exactly what he wants." Dr. Martin said as they walked over to Wesley's room. She knocked on Fred's door and waited for Fred to answer. "Good afternoon Dr. Martin and Hunter. Please come in, Wesley is awake." The ladies went in to find Wesley sitting up.

"Apparently you are doing a lot better today. Can you lie on your stomach for us so we can check your skin?" Fred took the cup of coffee from Wesley and he carefully turned and laid on his stomach. Dr. Martin pulled down the covers. The ointment was gone along with the dead skin and blisters. The new skin was red but sufficiently healed so that he could sit up. Dr. Martin held the covers up.

"Did you remove the dried ointment and dead skin Fred?" Dr. Martin asked.

"It was really just laying next to him on the sheets so I threw it away. Did you want to see it?" "No Angels is doing the same thing. Since he had more extensive damage to his skin it's taking a little longer to completely heal." Dr. Martin said.

"You can turn over now Wesley." He turned over carefully and laid back down. Dr. Martin started to check all of the bruises to his body. "Tell me if it hurts when I touch anything Wesley." He flinched when she touched his ribs on his left side but otherwise he was healing okay.

"Have you relieved yourself yet Wesley?" "No but I think I have to go." "Go ahead then. I want you to give me a sample in this jar so that I can test it for blood. I want to make sure that your not having any urinary problems. Hunter and I are going to go out to your balcony while Fred helps you." The doctors left then and Fred helped her husband to put a bathrobe on then helped him to the bathroom.

"Last night I noticed that Angel had been beaten up pretty badly. He also still has 6 bullets in him that have to be removed. Those bastard's were sadistic. They wanted him to suffer as much pain as they could possibly make him suffer." Dr. Martin told Hunter.

"Yes, they must have used a low powered gun so that the bullets wouldn't go through him. They wanted to make sure that the bullets would stay in him so they would help to conduct the electricity. Mary I was given my soul back over 1,000 years ago. But I guess since I am so small that no one ever suspected me of killing anyone. I was never tortured in anyway or shot or had knives stuck in me. Before Angel became a Master Vampire I could hold my own and sometimes beat him in a practice fight. When demons or vampires see me they don't see a threat and don't give me a second thought and I guess that is basically why I have existed for so long. The fact that I can go out in the sunlight helps me to hide my true nature as a Vampire. To me Angel is just a baby, but I have never known of anyone to go through as much as he has. He has suffered more physical damage than anyone I've ever known. But you know no matter what you do to Angel or how badly you've treated him he will always help you if you ask him." They heard Fred calling them so they went back in.

Fred was helping Wesley to get back into bed when the doctors came back in. "How are you feeling now?" Hunter asked.

"Sore, in fact every muscle in my body hurts. How is Angel doing? I wasn't unconscious all of the time like they thought and I know that they gave him the maximum amount of electrocution which was 60 minutes. They tried getting two of the women guards to check us out and to make unsavory remarks that were designed to make our tempers flare. What the females did though was make remarks that got their boyfriends mad. They ended up attacking us while two of them held my arms back and 4 were holding Angel back." Wesley leaned back against the headboard of the bed. You could tell that his mind was back at the prison and the events that took place. Dr. Martin could see Wesley's eyes starting to tear up.

"Mom they beat me pretty bad but nothing like they did to Angel. I am nothing compared to Angel. God made a good choice when He chose him. The only reason I was standing when they got through beating me was because I was being held up by two of the guards. Angel was still standing when I regained consciousness and they shackled me to the mattress wires. I am only half the man that he is. Mom they even threw water on him to make the electrocution worse." Wesley broke down then and reached for Dr. Martin. She took him into her arms then and let him cry.

"It's alright Wesley cry as much as you want there is nothing wrong with crying after going through what you did. Let it out, let it all out." Dr. Martin just held him and rocked him back and forth. Fred was crying on the other side of him and even Hunter had a few tears. Eventually Wesley cried all of the tears that he had pent up inside of him. "Thank you, I needed that." Wesley said as he let go of Dr. Martin and leaned back on the bed. "I think I'll get some more sleep now."

"When he wakes up again Fred let him take a soak in the bathtub if he wants to. It will help his muscles to relax. Then you can get him something to eat. Tomorrow morning Wesley I want you to try to get up and walk around a little. Do it tonight if possible. Go to sleep now." She tucked him in then gave him a kiss on his forehead and turned to leave with Hunter.

"Fred would you come down to the clinic in a few minutes and bring the bottle. I'll show you how to test his urine."

"All of these people see you as the matriarch of their group don't they?" Hunter asked as they walked down to Dr. Martins bedroom.

"Yes I seem to be taking on that designation. But I think Wesley said that because of what he was going through. Both men and women tend to seek comfort from a mother figure because of all that, that person represents. Although Buffy always turns to Giles."

They came to their bedroom door. Hunter put her hand on the doorknob and then listened to see if she could hear Mike in the bedroom. She could hear his heartbeat so she knocked on the door and said 'Mike are you decent? Mary wants to come in.' "Come in." Hunter opened the door and they went in. They found Mike in bed and watching a football game. When he saw both of the ladies come in he thought he would have a little fun. He moved to sit in the middle of the bed and spread his legs and arms out. "Okay ladies I am ready for you just be gentle I've never had two women at the same time. Dr. Martin and Hunter looked at each other. Dr. Martin had a mischievous grin on her face. She winked at Hunter and they each went to either side of the bed.

Hunter removed her bathrobe and slid in under the covers next to Mike. She started kissing him and rubbing her hand all over his chest. He had his eyes on Dr. Martin though. She was starting to unbutton her blouse. She did it slowly and methodically. She hadn't had a chance yet to change from the clothes that Willow had given her at the trial so she didn't have any slip or bra on. She continued to tease Mike with her seductive movements as she continued to unbutton her skirt and pushed it slowly down. She dropped her blouse to the floor and slid in next to Mike. Hunter and Dr. Martin started making their moves on him until his erection was hard enough to raise a flag on. Mike was busy making love to Hunter so Dr. Martin slid out of the bed and quietly went to the refrigerator and pulled a couple of ice cubes from the tray. When she looked at them again she decided against it and just went into the bathroom to take a shower. When she came out Hunter was asleep and Mike looked up at her. "I can take care of you now Mary." She looked at him. It had been a long time since she had, had sex and she was very tempted. "No thanks Mike, it was supposed to be a joke but I let it go to far. I am just going to grab some clothes and get dressed." She turned then and returned to the bathroom and got dressed.

When she went down stairs she found Buffy, Spike, Giles, Xander, Willow and Tara sitting at the dinning room table. "Good afternoon everyone." They all answered her with a returned greeting. Dr. Martin went into the kitchen and made herself a ham sandwich and a cup of coffee then took it to the dinning room table. Everyone was at her end of the table.

As she was eating Spike made a comment that made her choke on her sandwich. After she got control of herself she looked at Spike. "What did you say Spike?" "Oh nothing much I was just telling the rest that I saw both you and Hunter going into your bedroom where I knew Mike was in bed and watching a game. I knew he was in their because I stopped to ask him if he was going into the office today. He said that he was letting his physicians assistant take care of the work since they only had a few patience coming in that he was monitoring." "And?" "And what?" Spike was being evasive. "You said something else?" Spike put his head down as he tried to hide his smile. "I said I am pretty sure that I heard more than two people breathing hard."

"I was teasing him. Mike and I have known each other for a long time and he even took care of me when I was pregnant with my son. When Hunter and I went into the bedroom he did just like all of you men do, 'Okay ladies I'm ready. Just be gentle with me I've never had two at the same time.' Hunter slipped in bed beside Mike first then I let him see me undress and slide in next to him. I admit though that I let it go to far. When he started making love to Hunter I had intended to put an ice cube on his back at just the right moment. But I thought twice about it and just went into the bathroom and took a shower. And that's all that happened."

Spike got up and went to get some more coffee. He walked around behind Dr. Martins chair and stopped behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. "That's okay Dr. Martin I understand it's been a long, long, long time since you had any. If I wasn't with Buffy I would take care of you but alas I do love my wife and would never give her a reason to stake me."

Giles had been quietly listening to Spike teasing Dr. Martin. He looked at Dr. Martin appraisingly. She was a beautiful woman that was in very good shape for a woman her age. He had gotten a good look when she had been snatched from her shower and into the courtroom. Her hair was so long and beautiful. It helped to give her a more youthful appearance. He felt himself becoming aroused by just thinking of her.

Dr. Martin saw the look in his eye and knew what it meant. She could see the vein in his neck pulsing. Because of what had happened a couple of hours ago she was still in a frame of mind that had her thinking about sex and how long it had been since she had, had sex. With all of these young people engaging in sex it was like listening to porno at night.

Giles got up and went to Dr. Martin and whispered in her ear. "Would you like to take a refresher course in the art of making love?" Giles said it so low that Spike was the only one that heard him. Dr. Martin thought about it for a second. She didn't say anything she just got up and took the rest of her coffee and sandwich and went to the elevator with Giles following her.

Everybody looked at Spike. "What did Giles say to her?" Buffy asked him. "That was private and between Giles and Dr. Martin." Buffy stood up and grabbed his arm and pulled it to his back. "Tell me what he said." "Okay, okay you big bully. Giles said 'Would you like to take a refresher course in the art of making love?'" Buffy let Spike go and fell back into her chair.

"I knew it, I knew it. I've seen Giles looking at Dr. Martin several times. After awhile he would always cross his legs." Buffy looked at Willow and Tara. "Giles has the hots for Dr. Martin, Angels adopted Mother." She covered her mouth with both of her hands and the girls all started laughing.

Hunter and Mike came down shortly after Giles and Dr. Martin left the lobby. They noticed that everyone was staring at them. "What's going on? Why are you all staring at us?"

"Dr. Martin and Giles just went upstairs together. Whatever you guys were doing upstairs got her hot and bothered." Buffy told them. Mike's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped.

"Your kidding. Tell me your joking." Mike said. "Nope they are up there right now getting hot and nasty." Spike said. They all cracked up. "Where did they go? We were in Mary's room and we didn't hear anyone come up stairs.

Willow and Buffy looked at each other and gave the answer at the same time. "Room 412."

When Giles and Dr. Martin entered the elevator she finished eating her sandwich and drank the rest of her coffee and put the cup on the floor. They didn't say anything Giles just put his hands on the side of her face and started to kiss her. He kissed her roughly at first then stopped to take his jacket off and left it on the floor of the elevator. When the doors opened he picked her up and started going down the hallway. After taking a few steps he stopped and looked at her.

"Where are we going?" "Room 412." Dr. Martin answered. She continued kissing Giles. He almost didn't make it to the door. His legs were getting kind of wobbly. As he reached the door Dr. Martin reached for the door knob and opened the door. Giles kicked it closed as he put his passenger down. They started grabbing at each others clothes and stealing a kiss whenever possible. It had been a long time for both of them and they were both starving.

Giles pulled the covers of the bed down and picked up Dr. Martin and put her on the bed. He got on top of her and held her arms down. He pulled his glasses off and put them on the night stand. Giles noticed that she was laying on her hair so he put his hand behind her neck and lifted her a little and pulled her hair up so that it was on the pillow. He stared down at her. "You are a beautiful woman Mary Tares Martin." He kissed her and he forced her mouth open with his and his tongue searched hers out. Mary reached down between his legs and his body responded with a surge of blood. He continued to trail kisses down her neck and to her shoulders. He slowly trailed kisses down her chest and to her breasts. Mary had full breasts that were still firm. He took one in his mouth and played with the nipple while playing with the other one with his hand. He changed over to the other one and played with it also. He sucked on it hard and it made Mary arch her back with the electricity that it sent to her pleasure zone. It had been so long she had almost forgotten how good it felt. She held onto his head as though wanting him to never let go.

Giles reached down between her legs to see if she was ready for him. He knew that older women needed more foreplay sometimes before they were ready to have intercourse. But Mary was already ready for him. She had, had all of the time from the lobby to the bedroom and apparently her mind was working on getting ready all of that time.

Mary pulled Giles up to her mouth and she started kissing him. She reached down and found him ready also.

"Now Giles I want you now. This first one now and well work on improving our technique on the second one." He pushed her legs apart and she reached down and guided him in. "Easy Giles easy it's been a long time. I am very small once again." He entered her very slowly so as not to tear any of the sensitive tissue. She moaned in pain as Giles pushed further in. "Do you want me to stop?" "No just do it slowly." Finally he felt that he was all the way in and she was able to take all of him. Slowly he pulled back and then forward. She moaned in pain again and he saw tears coming down the corners of her eyes. But he continued and as he went back and forth slowly it seemed to hurt her less and less. Giles started to do it a little faster but he watched her for any signs of pain. When she didn't show any he continued doing it faster. He quickly reached his own mountain peak. He pushed himself in a few more times then collapsed on top of her. When he got control of himself he started kissing her again but she was unresponsive.

"You didn't have an orgasm did you?" "No but it wasn't your fault. Their was just too much pain to make it enjoyable for me. Withdraw from me and let me check to see if I left any blood on you." He did as she said and she checked him and found nothing on him. He could see, in her face, the disappointment that she did not achieve an orgasm. "Let me rest a little then I'll work on giving you one as well." "That's okay with me. I think I can use the rest. Youth does have it's advantages." She pulled the covers up and over them then she nestled into his arms and they both went to sleep.

An hour later Giles woke up and started kissing Mary. She woke up and turned to him. "Are you feeling alright?" Giles asked as he stroked the side of her face and pulled her hair over onto the pillow again. "Yes I am much better I'm still a little sore but nothing tore so I'll be okay." "It's been a long time since I was with a Virgin." "Oh I'm not a virgin Giles." "It's almost like you were. Let me see if I can give you what you need now." Giles started to make love to her again but he stayed with her breasts longer. He had noticed how it got her so charged up when he was sucking on her breast. Before going any further he reached back up to her lips and kissed her with a passion that she hadn't experienced in a long time.

He then started to travel down her body with a trail of kisses. He pushed her legs apart and found her center. Within a very short time she achieved an orgasm. Giles came back up to lay beside her again. She was still breathing heavily. She had her eyes closed as she enjoyed the feeling that she had just experienced.

"You know that they know exactly what we've been doing up here. We are going to have to put up with all of the jokes and teasing." "Why do you think they'll be making jokes about us?" "They will say 'Wow Buffy's Father and Angel's Mom were making out upstairs just like a couple of kids. Ewww.'" Mary laughed at him as she played with the hair on his chest and he played with her hair. It was so long and soft.

"You just let me take care of them. The teasing won't last long. Lets get up and face the music. Besides I want to go and check on my son and Wesley." They got up and dressed and made the bed together. "Where is my jacket?" "I believe that was the first article of clothing that came off. I believe it's in the elevator along with my coffee cup." They started walking to the elevator. While they were going down and before the doors opened Mary turned to Giles and kissed him. "I'll see you tonight in my bedroom. We have to keep it up (no pun intended) so that I don't shrink down again. It will go much better tonight. Do you agree to that arrangement?" He picked her up and kissed her. "That would be most agreeable." They were coming to the second floor so they separated. Mary went to Angel and Cordelia's room and Giles followed.

Dr. Martin knocked on the door. "Come in." Cordelia had answered.

She opened the door and Giles and Dr. Martin walked in. "How are we doing now." He woke up an hour ago but he went back to sleep again." Cordelia said. Dr. Martin lifted the covers and pulled them back. All signs of the burn marks were gone and the red sheen of new skin was gone also. Dr. Martin was curious as to why he wasn't awake and up yet.

"Why is he still sleeping, he should be awake by now." Dr. Martin said to no one in particular.

"Angel wake up, Angel get up." He didn't even flinch.

"I think I know why he isn't waking up. I was just about to feed Kathleen." Cordelia pulled down her straps to expose her breast. She already had Kathleen in her arms. "Uh I think I'll wait over here." Giles said. Dr. Martin and Cordelia looked at him. His face was red from embarrassment. "Stay there Giles I want you to see this. Watch Angels mouth. Kathleen is starting to nurse now." They were all watching Angel. His mouth started to move like he was sucking on something.

"If you put your finger to his mouth he'll start to suck on it." Dr. Martin tried it. Angel didn't actually grab her finger but it did encourage him to suck harder.

"Isn't that cute. He is somehow connected to Kathleen. I noticed last night that when Angel started moaning from the pain Kathleen would start fussing. When Angel went into a more sound sleep then Kathleen went back to sleep. Then one time he turned his head toward me and while I was nursing Kathleen I noticed his mouth moving like he was sucking on something just like Kathleen does. I think it's going to take more than calling him to wake him up."

"Can you help me turn him over Giles?" Dr. Martin showed him how they were going to do it. When they had him turned over she checked his eyes. They were both equal and reactive. She checked the rest of his body now that he was turned over. The black and blue marks and broken ribs appeared to be healed. Even the bullet wounds were healed.

"I am going to try calling him again. 'Liam me darling boy get up your Da needs you to come and help him with the milking.'" Angel sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I'm coming Mother, I'm coming." He swung his legs over and would of got up but Dr. Martin put her hand on him.

"Angel wake up." Dr. Martin said again. He looked at her. "How are you feeling?" "A lot better then I did last night. How is Wesley doing?" "He is doing pretty good. Willow was able to get a magical ointment recipe, from the healer in Sunnydale, to heal your burns. For everything else, except of course for the bullets, it seems that Angelus has been working overtime. You must be thinking of going after these Judges."

"Yes I am. Giles have you tried to find out where we were taken?" "Yes, Willow and I were working on it. We were ready when you and Wesley were returned. We used a spell to backtrack the trail that was left when you were returned." "Good do you know how to send me back there?"

"Yes we have that to. I presume that you intend to take Spike with you." "Yes. Now I think I would like to take a long soak in the whirlpool bath." "Don't stay in to long because it's almost time for dinner and I am sure your very hungry right now. Well see you downstairs." Giles and Dr. Martin left then and Angel made his way to the bathroom and started filling the whirlpool bathtub. As soon as it was filled he went to the bedroom and pulled Cordelia up and took her nightgown off. She walked into the bathroom while Angel pulled the bassinet over to the bathroom door then he slipped into the whirlpool bath with a sigh of contentment. Cordelia slipped in also.

Cordelia started to get out of the bath after she bathed Angel and herself. "Your getting out already?" "I'm going to get Kathleen so I can bath her also." Angel just sank down in the water. Every muscle in his body was hurting. He let the jets of warm water hit his body. Cordelia came back after a few minutes. "Whew this kid can put out some stinky stuff. I had to clean her up before we could bath her. I have the balcony doors open to air the room out." Cordelia gave her to Angel to hold while she got the soap and shampoo for Kathleen. She got back in then and started to bath her while Angel held his daughter. Cordelia had turned the jets of the whirlpool off so that the water wouldn't accidently go over her face. Angels hands were so big compared to Kathleen's tiny body that he easily handled her at the same time that he helped to bathe Kathleen.

As soon as they were done with her they got out of the tub. Cordelia wrapped her up in a large white towel while they dried themselves off. Angel went into the bedroom and closed the doors and drapes before Cordelia came in with Kathleen. Angel got dressed while Cordelia took care of her daughter. When she was done she wrapped her up again and left her on the bed while she dressed. It was the first time she had put any clothes on since she had delivered Kathleen. She still had to use one of her maternity blouses since her stomach was still too large for her regular clothes. But she didn't care she was just glad to get out of that nightgown.

They headed down to the first floor with the bassinet in tow. Fred and others were carrying in the food as they approached. "Hi guys. How are we feeling this morning." Fred put the food down and gave Angel a kiss and hug. "I'm doing a lot better." Angel looked over at Wesley. He looked tired like Angel felt. Wesley rose from his chair and Angel met him half way. They hugged for a minute or two then finally pulled apart after a couple of minutes. "How is my fellow inmate doing?" Angel asked. "Better but I'm sore all over. I feel like I just went through a race where I had to cross a mountain." "Me to, except I crossed the Rockies." "Did Dr. Martin take those bullets out yet?" "No not yet. I guess she had to wait for my back to heal first." They hugged again then Wesley went back to his chair. Cordelia went to her usual chair. Angel stopped by Willow and Tara and gave them each a kiss and hug and thanked them both for what they did.

"I could drink a horse I am so hungry." Angel said as he sat down after pulling the bassinet over to Cordelia. Fred had made tacos with beans and rice. For Angel she brought over a very rare filet mignon along with a large mug of warm blood. Fred sat down and they all dug in. After eating half of the steak Angel looked up and noticed that Giles and Dr. Martin were missing.

"Where is Giles and Dr. Martin?" Angel felt it was just an innocent, normal, everyday question and that's why he couldn't understand why they were all laughing so hard.

When Spike was able to stop laughing he told Angel, Cordelia, Wesley and Fred what had happened that afternoon. Angels mouth was still open when they saw Dr. Martin and Giles come down stairs. "Good evening everyone." Giles pulled Dr. Martins chair out for her and she sat down then Giles took his seat to her left. Everyone was looking at them. Giles started fixing himself some tacos and Dr. Martin did the same. When they were done filling up their plates they started eating.

Without even looking up Dr. Martin said "Cordelia would you close your husbands mouth for him." Angel closed his mouth.

After Dr. Martin finished one taco she stopped to take a sip of her coffee. Everyone was still staring at them. "Alright lets get this out in the open. Spike did you tell the rest what you heard Giles say to me when we were at the table this afternoon?" Spike didn't answer right away.

After a couple of minutes he answered her. "Yes but Buffy almost broke my arm when I didn't want to tell them." "Is that right Buffy?" Giles asked. Buffy looked down and played with her food. She answered in a low voice "Yes". "Does anyone have any objections to Giles and I having sex together? Because if you do then that is too bad. You were all paired up and Giles and I had to listen to all of you shaking the Hotel. Especially Spike and Buffy. Well after my failed joke on Mike I guess Giles realized that I was still human and I was still interested in sex."

"But Giles, and you, and Giles, and... I just never thought of Giles in that way." Buffy said.

"Your not supposed to think of Giles in that way. After all he is your foster father more or less. If you did think that way about him then I would say 'Ewww'." Everybody laughed. Dr. Martin took the time to finish off her other taco.

"Do you have a problem with Giles and I being together Angel?" "No Mam." Angel busied himself with the eating of the rest of his steak. He didn't want to be put in the center like Buffy had been.

"Uh can I ask one question though?" Angel asked after he finished chewing the meat he had stuffed in his mouth.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Is this a long term relationship or just a quick role in the hay or if this is going to be a long term relationship are you going to go and stay with him?"

"Well lets just say that it's for mutual companionship. Their isn't too much difference in our ages. Being with you kids, shall we say, makes us kind of hunger for more mature companionship. Although you, Spike and Hunter are much older than us your minds still work like the age that you look. So I think I can bundle you up with the rest." Dr. Martin just looked at everyone else but no one wanted to look at her. She wasn't sure if it was because they were embarrassed or they didn't want to start laughing.

"After my little joke with Mike failed I found that I was sexually aroused and I was open to Giles offer." "What happened with Mike?" Angel asked. He thought the earth shattering news was over but his mother was pulling another one out.

"You were still sleeping when Hunter and I checked you. I had spent the night on your couch and gave my room to Hunter and Mike. We waited to leave the room to discuss your progress. We were still talking when we arrived at my room so that I could change. Since Hunter said that Mike was in the shower when she left to come down to your room we stopped to knock on the door and make sure it was okay to go in. Mike was apparently back in bed and watching a game on the TV. Hunter asked him if he was decent and he said to come in. When we opened the door we found him in bed. And Mike, being a man, said the usual 'Okay ladies I'm ready, just be gentle with me I've never had two at the same time'. Hunter and I decided to teach him a lesson. I let it go as far as even undressing in front of him and getting into bed with them. Hunter was on his left and I was on his right. Fortunately for him he turned to Hunter first. I slipped out of the bed and was going to throw ice on him but since all of his attention was on Hunter I thought twice about it and just went to take a shower and I got dressed and left."

"You got into bed with him?" Angel was shocked that she would go so far.

"Angel Mike and I have known each other since collage. He was my OB/GYN so I can assure you that he wasn't seeing anything new. As I was saying, I came down stairs and apparently Giles picked up on those subtle pheromones. He made an offer and I decided it was time to get some for myself."

To every ones surprise especially Angel Dr. Martin reached over and put her hand on Giles and they reached for each other and kissed in front of everyone.

"Just in case you were wondering Buffy and Cordelia, Giles can match Angel centimeter for centimeter. Since I was as small as a virgin he was very gentle and considerate of me. He made sure that I got what I wanted also." She kissed Giles again. "Lets go for a ride Giles and get an ice cream cone." "That sounds good to me." Giles kissed her again. "That will give these kids all the time they want to talk about us. I am going to go and get my keys. I'll be right back." Giles pulled her chair out for her then waited by the table with his hands in his pocket. He had the biggest grin on his face that Buffy had ever seen.

Everyone's eyes turned towards the stairs. Dr. Martin had changed her clothes to a pair of white shorts and a sleeveless white blouse that she had tied at the waste. The top buttons had been left undone so that it showed her breasts off. She had her purse on her shoulders and her keys in her hands. She intended to give these people a show and for everyone to see exactly what Giles was getting. She went to him and put her arm around his waste. "Lets go Giles." Just as they were about to leave she came back over to Angel and put her arms around his neck.

"I forgot to answer your question my dear boy. Neither Giles or I know where this relationship will go. But I won't be leaving to go up to live in Sunnydale. Whenever I have an itch that has to be scratched all I have to do is get in my car and drive there and I am sure Giles will be more than willing to help me scratch it." She gave him a kiss on his cheek and then left with Giles.

When they got outside they started laughing so hard that they had to sit down by the stairs. "That was priceless. When you said 'Cordelia and Buffy Giles can match Angel centimeter for centimeter' I thought Buffy was going to crawl under the table." They continued to laugh some more. Then Giles got up and pulled Dr. Martin up then they went to her car and left for the Dairy Queen.

Everyone that was left at the dinning room was looking at Angel and Buffy. Angel was holding his head up with his hands. Angels head was hanging low as he stood up to leave. I think I am going upstairs Cordelia. He went upstairs real slow. Everyone picked up something and went into the kitchen while Fred started putting food away and Buffy started loading the dishwasher. When they were almost done they heard Angel come running down the stairs. He had a diaper bag on his shoulder and a coat for Cordelia.

"Where are you going Angel?" Wesley asked. "We are going to the Dairy Queen. They think their being pretty funny laying this on us so lets go and,and... Well I don't know what we are going to show them but I'm going to show them something." Cordelia followed him out to the car after he helped her put her coat on and she grabbed the blanket from the bassinet. They all looked at each other and dropped what they were doing and ran out to Wesley's SUV and Hunter and Mike got into his car. Spike and Buffy took their car.

They all followed Angel to the Dairy Queen that was two streets down. He spotted Giles and Dr. Martin sitting by her car. He almost didn't notice them because she was now wearing a long black coat. He pulled in right next to them then got out and went to the stand. Cordelia stayed in the mini van with Kathleen while Angel bought a vanilla ice cream cone for himself and a Chocolate Sunday for Cordelia. He went back to the van and opened the sliding side door where Cordelia could sit in the seat and Angel sat on the drivers seat. The rest came and did the same thing. Their wasn't too many people around because it was a little chilly outside. They all stood around Giles and Dr. Martin just eating their ice cream. No one was saying anything.

Finally Giles couldn't stand it any longer. "Did you feel that Dr. Martin needed protection Angel? Is that why you followed us?"

"Of course not Giles. Mom's suggestion of going to get ice cream sounded so good to Cordelia that she just had to have one also. You know that I always give Cordelia whatever she wants." "Yeah Giles and you know with Buffy being pregnant and all she just had a craving for Dairy Queen ice cream to. The rest are here because they thought that ice cream sounded so good that they just had to come also." No one said anything after that.

Dr. Martin finished up her ice cream cone that had been dipped in sprinkles. "Ready to go?" She asked Giles. "Yes lets go. I am thoroughly chilled to the bone now. It will be nice to get into a nice warm bed." "Mike you and Hunter can stay in my bedroom again. Giles and I will be going back up to room 412." "Why not just stay in Giles room." Mike asked.

"Too many ears that can hear everything going on. Which include my grandson. By the way Connor I haven't asked you if you have any objections with Giles and I being together?"

"Heck no Grandma. I'm happy for you that you finally have someone. Especially since you don't have to worry about getting pregnant." Connor went over and hugged his grandmother. Dr. Martin stood up and gave Connor a kiss on the cheek when he hugged her. Before she got into the car she turned to Angel. "No food or anything to drink after 12 midnight Angel. Hunter and I will be taking those bullets out tomorrow morning."

Dr. Martin and Giles got in the car then and left. When they left everyone looked at Connor and made kissing sounds.

"What? I am happy for her and you should be too Dad."

Angel just closed the side door and got back into the mini van and drove back to the hotel.

They were all about to leave when Hunter spoke up. "Hey guys I think we better stand back on this. It's not really all that funny to Angel. He is having a real problem with this. Deep down he sees Giles as a rival for his mothers love. Don't forget that it hasn't been too long since Angel and Mary had this mutual adoption. I think we had better back up on our teasing and let it go. I'll talk to Mary tomorrow." "I think your right Hunter. I think that Cordelia is thinking the same thing. Angel is an intelligent man but things like this go down deep. Let's go home. I don't know about the rest of you but I am freezing." Wesley put his arm around Fred and they got back into the SUV.

Dr. Martin and Giles arrived at the Hotel before Angel and Cordelia. Angel had been quiet all of the way home. As they went into the hotel Angel grabbed the bassinet and pulled it behind him and back to their room. Cordelia put Kathy on the bed and changed her. Angel made some hot tea for himself and Cordelia. They sat at the couch and Angel turned the TV on so they could watch the late night news. Cordelia made herself comfortable while leaning into Angels arm. He noticed milk coming out of the corners of Kathleen's mouth. Angel put his finger at the corner of her mouth and got some of the milk and tasted it. "Mmm, Mommy tastes sweet."

"You know Angel the time will come when Kathleen will have to go away to college or to study with someone that will teach her how to handle her visions. But whatever the reason will be she will always know that her Mommy and Daddy will always love her no matter how far she goes away or for how long she is gone. Even though we give so much of our love to each other she will come to understand that she has a special place in our hearts that can't be filled by anyone else but her. You need to go and talk to Mom so that your mind will be at ease tonight."

"I think your right. I know it's silly the way I feel. I felt terrible when my own son had to point out to me that I should be happy for her. I'll be back in a few minutes." He extricated his arm from behind her neck and left then to go upstairs.

He approached 412 quietly. He listened for any sound that said he should leave it until tomorrow. It was quiet so he knocked on the door. Giles answered it. "Oh, hello Angel are you looking for Mary?" "Yes, is she up here?" "Yes she is in the bathroom right now. Have a seat and I'll tell her you're here." Angel went in and took his usual chair while Giles went to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "You can come in Giles." "Mary, Angel is here to see you."

Dr. Martin quickly put her nightgown and robe on and came out. "I'll go downstairs and get some tea." Giles said as he left the room so they could have some privacy.

Dr. Martin sat in her usual chair also. She had a brush and was brushing her long hair. Angel hadn't said anything so she started it. "Did you want to talk to me about something Angel?"

"Yes, I wanted to apologize for acting like a selfish immature kid that wants his mother all to himself. I realized that I was feeling the same way about you that I felt for my biological mother. I tend to think of you as mine and no one else has a right to be with you because your all mine. Unfortunately that means that you can't have a life either. I apologize for holding on to you so tightly that I won't let you have a life of your own. I have no right to question you on what your doing. I think I was afraid of losing you like I lost my mother. I know it's illogical but that is the way that part of my mind works. Cordelia talked to me about it when we came home. She always has a way of explaining things to me that gets my attention and makes me understand how things are even though someone else has been telling me the same thing."

"Apology accepted. Angel Giles and I are just sharing some companionship right now. As my son I accept your right to know who I am seeing but not detailed information on what we are doing or what our plans for the future are. When I know where this relationship is going then I will choose when to tell you. I will always love you Angel and you will always have your own special place in my heart. I will never allow anyone to push you out of that special place. Just as you have a special place in your heart for Cordelia, Connor and now Kathleen. Each child born to you will make their own special place and no one can ever take that love away or push it out so they can take over that place."

They stood up together then and hugged each other. Angel kissed her on her forehead then left and went back to his bedroom. He saw Giles standing out in the hallway and he approached him.

"I want to apologize for acting the way that I did Giles. I have no right to say who Dr. Martin can see or be with. Please forgive my childish behavior." "That's quite alright Angel. I understand perfectly. And I want to thank you for getting me out of that court. When your ready I can give you all the information you need to go after them." "Thank you." Angel said and then he turned and went to his own room and his wife and daughter.

Giles went back into the room and found Mary already in bed. He turned the lights off and removed his robe and climbed into bed beside her. He put his arm around her and she nestled her head into his arm.

"How did it go with Angel if you don't mind my asking?" "He apologized for acting like a selfish child. He said 'I guess I was afraid of losing you so soon'. He said that Cordelia has a special way of talking to him that gains his attention and makes him understand what is happening and why he is wrong. Cordelia is a perfect partner for Angel. I thank God everyday that he gave her to him."

"Yes Cordelia has made a big difference in his life. I am constantly amazed at how much of a turnaround she has done. She was such a self centered young lady when she was in High School. From what Wesley tells me her change came about from her being cursed by a demon that made her see visions of people in trouble all at once. It kept on replaying in her mind over and over again so that it made her go temporarily insane. Angel was able to get his hands on a scroll that had a spell that would remove the curse. After that she purposely made an effort to change the way she treated other people. Ever since then Wesley said she has become a cornerstone for Angel Investigations."

"I shudder to think of the pain that either Angel or Cordelia will suffer when one loses the other. I pray that they will die together so that they don't have to suffer that pain. It's odd how we don't want our children to suffer any pain in their lives even though we know that it is part of life." "They will survive Mary just like we have." Mary was quiet for a long time. Giles thought she had fallen asleep. Then she looked up into his eyes.

"Make love to me Giles. I want to feel a physical love. I want to be loved. My heart becomes so heavy when I think of losing people and how we suffer when we lose someone that we love."

She reached up to his head and pulled it down so that she could reach his lips. Giles bent down and kissed her. He kissed her gently and she took his hand and placed it on her breast and he rubbed it and played with her nipple. Giles reached for her head so that he could pull her hair out from under her and place it on the pillow. His lips left her mouth and he started to kiss her ears and neck. He ran his hands across her breasts then down to her center between her legs. He played with her and did his best to take her mind off of her previous thoughts. He kissed her over and over again then went to her breasts and suckled at them. He cupped her right breast in his hands and sucked long and hard on it. She arched her back in the shear ecstasy of the feeling. He left the right breast and then did the same to the left. She moaned as he trailed his kisses down to her legs. He licked then kissed her inner thighs then reached for her central control. When he played with it with his tongue and sucked on it lightly she called out his name over and over again. She pulled him up into a sitting position and she reached for his erection. He was hard and ready to take her now which was what she wanted but she made him go down on his back while she straddled him. Mary wanted this feeling to last longer. She wanted to drown in it so that it would cover her completely as though she was sinking in water and all of her thoughts would be centered around it.

"Stay there and don't move." She said as she started to rain kisses all over his body. She started by putting her mouth on his and forced him to take her tongue in his as she played with him. Her lips left his and she placed a trail of kisses up his arm and then took his hand in hers and took each finger in her mouth and sucked on it. When she let go of his hand he reached for her breast but she pushed it away. "No touch." She said. Giles put his hand down and laughed. She ran her tongue down his chest and down to his groin. She repeatedly teased him by starting to go further down but would stop just above the line. When he started to jerk in anticipation of her mouth taking hold of him she went back up to his lips and kissed him.

"You're a naughty girl. Constantly teasing me." "You mean like this?" She placed his middle finger in her mouth and went up and down on it then licked the tip of it.

Giles grabbed her jaw and kissed her. "You wicked, wicked woman. I didn't know that x-nuns were so good at making love." "Not every x-nun is, only those that were married at one time." She pushed him back down again and started going down his chest again. As she approached the line again she raised her head and said "it's like riding a bike once you've learned you never forget." She took him into her mouth then and gave him a demonstration. When she felt him about ready to explode she slowed down and started kissing him again. Giles turned her over on her back and pushed her legs apart. She took hold of his large erection and played with him a little then guided him in. When he found resistance in the tightness of her vagina he whispered to her "Hold on, I'm going to do it all at once". He thrust himself inside of her all at once then pulled out carefully and pushed himself in her hard again. She held onto the sheets and told him 'Go ahead Giles do it I'm okay'. He did as she said and with drew from her almost all of the way then pushed himself in all of the way. He did this over and over again and faster until they both achieved that mountain peak together. He collapsed on top of her and she wrapped her arms around him and they both started to come down from that mountain peak. Mary rolled them both over with out letting him pull out. She wanted to continue to feel him inside of her as long as possible. She reached for the sheets and blanket and pulled them up and over them. They both fell asleep then and didn't wake until the next morning.

Mary had set the alarm for 7 A.M. so that they could operate on Angel to remove the bullets.

She woke up and kissed Giles. He opened his eyes and kissed her back. "Good morning." "Good morning my stud muffin." Giles laughed at her name for him. "Don't repeat that outside of this room or I'll never hear the end of it." "Yes my big and I do mean big tall stud muffin." She laughed at the look he gave her. As she sat up in bed she reached for the phone and called Angels room. Angel answered.

"Good morning Angel can I speak to Cordelia please?" "Sure Mom she's right here." Angel gave her the phone. "Good morning Mom." "Good morning Cordelia, are you two just getting up." "Yes and no. I've been up for the past 15 minutes taking care of your Godchild. I was just sitting nursing her. I'm starting to produce milk now." "That's good. Warn Angel not to shake her up too much because the milk will come out of her mighty easy. I am calling to tell you that I want you to shave Angel like you did when we had to operate on his foot except this time he isn't going to like where you have to shave. But look to where all of the bullet holes are and give me at least a 6 inch clearance of hair all around each bullet hole. The bullet holes on his groin means that you have to shave all of the pubic hair. Use an electric shaver then some Nair. Be very careful on how long you leave it on and don't let it touch his testicles or it could burn the skin. The skin there is very sensitive and can burn easily. Tell him I want him down stairs by 10 A.M. Bye."

She called her room then and told Hunter that she wanted to start by 10 A.M. "Does Mike want to help or shall I tell Spike that well need him." She could hear Hunter calling to Mike to see if he wanted to help. She was back on the phone in just a few seconds. "Mike said he'll help." "Okay I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast and we can discuss what were going to do. Bye."

Mary heard Giles in the shower and decided to join him. By 8:45 they were on their way downstairs. While they were in the elevator Giles asked her "Mary, how do you know that Angel and I are a match centimeter for centimeter. You couldn't know that just by seeing him or him entering you just once. At least not in the state of mind you were in."

"I'll tell you tonight but right now I need to keep myself in the right frame of mind. Okay?" "Yes I understand. I'll get our breakfast. What would you like, a couple of fried or scrambled eggs and toast?" Giles asked her as he put his arms around her waist and kissed her. The elevator doors opened and they parted. "That sounds good to me. I am going to go into the clinic and get things situated."

Giles was the first one in the kitchen so he started the big coffee maker. He started some sausages going first and set the table with sugar, cream and silverware. By the time Mary came over Hunter and Mike were coming down the stairs. Giles threw on some more sausages and then brought Mary and his breakfast over to the table.

"Good morning." Mary and Giles. "Good morning." Both Dr. Martin and Giles answered. Dr. Martin reached into her pocket and took out a ring of keys and gave it to Mike.

"Here is the key to the drug cabinet Mike. Would you give Angel something to make him sleep for the next few hours or so as soon as he comes down. If he isn't unconscious by the time we get in there then we will have to get Willow to give him some of her magic powder again."

"Why, has he become resistant to the usual drugs?" Hunter asked.

"Yes, when they crucified him last year he had a real hard time healing. Angelus was giving him only a minimum amount of help. When he was out of surgery his temperature almost hit 108. He went into seizures and we had to pack him in ice to get his temperature down. He had lost almost all of his blood when they crucified him and I didn't replace it until after the surgery to repair him was over. I took his vitals before we put him on the couch and started to give him blood. When I saw that his temperature was going up I gave him some heavy duty antibiotics and I let Spike continue to monitor him with instructions to call me if it continued to go up. I laid down on the couch in Angels office and I think I was able to sleep for maybe 15 minutes when Spike called me. His temperature was continuing to go up and the antibiotics were having no affect on him. That's when I told Wesley that we had to put him in ice or we were going to lose him."

"Didn't Angelus help him to heal at all?" Hunter asked. She had never come across a Vampire whose demon didn't make him heal within minutes.

"That's another story that I will have to tell you another time but now we need to find out why he's not down here yet. I told Cordelia to shave all of his pubic hair and he is probably fighting with her about it. Gunn had his appendix out and told him how irritating it was when it grew back. I think I'll go and see what is holding him up." Mary got up to go and check on Angel. As she started up the stairs Angel and Cordelia came out of the elevator with the bassinet in tow.

"What took you so long?" Dr. Martin asked.

"He didn't want me to shave near Junior but I finally talked him into it." Cordelia was laughing.

"It wasn't funny. She had to use the scissors before she could use the electric shaver." "Okay, okay lets get going you big baby. Mike is going to put you under." "Why do you have to put me out, just cut them out I can feel almost all of them when I touch the scars. You know that I can take it." Angel seemed to be very irritable today.

"Angel just do as I say please. Go and get on the table and let Mike put you under. I have my reasons." Angel went into the clinic. Cordelia could see that he wasn't exactly a happy camper.

Dr. Martin and Hunter went back to the dinning room table. Cordelia brought the bassinet over to them and put Kathleen in it then went to get her breakfast. She brought back two soft boiled eggs and a slice of toast. She sat down and started in on her breakfast.

"Giles, I don't mean to sound rude but I can't think of any other way of saying it, if your done with your breakfast could you go some place else so that we can have some girl talk?" Cordelia asked. "Sure, I am going to check on Angel." As soon as Giles left Cordelia turned to Dr. Martin.

"How long do I have to wait before Angel and I can have sex?"

"That's all up to you Cordelia. From my own experience it took me at least a week before I even had the strength for it. But everyone is different. Why, do you think that is why he is so irritable this morning?" "Yes, with that and on top of everything else he hasn't had time to meditate at all. I think what he really needs is to go out and kill a few dozen demons." Cordelia finished off her toast then and drank some of her coffee.

"What about exercise for me? When can I start?" "You can start with light exercise today if you want. But as soon as you start hurting it's time to stop. This is definitely not the time for 'No pain, no gain'. You kept yourself in pretty good condition throughout your pregnancy so it shouldn't be to hard on you to get back into shape. Your producing milk now right?" "Yes it started just yesterday." "Let me take a look at your nipples." Cordelia opened her blouse and took the flap of the nursing bra down. Dr. Martin examined her nipples. They were starting to show a little toughening of the skin but no cracking or irritation. When she was done Cordelia covered herself up again. "Okay Cordelia your doing fine. Lets go Hunter and see if my boy is ready yet."

The doctors went into the clinic and found Angel sleeping nice and peaceful. "No problems putting him under?" Dr. Martin asked. "No, no problems." Dr. Thompson answered. "Okay then lets get started."

Cordelia sat out in the lobby with Kathleen and Giles. Everyone else but Fred and Wesley came down while they were operating on Angel. They went to the dining room and kitchen to fix their breakfast.

Fred and Wesley were still in bed. Wesley woke up feeling a lot better and had started to make love to his wife. This time though Fred pulled away from him. "I want to watch something first Wes. Can you hold that thought for awhile?" Fred went to the heater and turned it up a little. It was a little cold today in L.A. so Fred was cold. She had a heavy nightgown on and sox. For some reason Wes thought she was so cute all bundled up and looking like a little girl. She pulled the quilt off of the bed and pulled Wes with her. She turned the TV and VCR on then sat down with Wesley on the couch. "Okay what are we going to see?"

"Something that was suggested to me by a close friend that new I was having a problem with something." "Your being very mysterious Fred what's up?"

As soon as the film started Wesley knew what it was. They watched it as Cordelia performed a strip tease for Angel and then as he made love to her and she reciprocated his love making. Fred started kissing Wesley. He started to put his hand on her and she grabbed one hand and pushed it into the back of the couch then she took the other and did the same.

"Don't move them. No matter what happens, don't move them." She proceeded with her lovemaking. Fred made love to Wesley in all of the ways that Lilah used to. 'Now I have the perfect wife' Wesley thought to himself. When she was done and Wesley had recovered he pulled his hands out from the back of the couch and picked her up and took her to the bed. He then proceeded to give her the oral sex that he had been wanting to do. Fred reached the highest peak of an orgasm that she had ever experienced before. Wesley slid up beside her when he was done.

"I don't know why I was so nervous about doing what we just did. Cordelia was right. I'll have to get something for her in thanks." "What are you talking about?" "All I am going to say is that we owe all of this to Cordelia. You can prove how much you liked what I did by getting Cordelia the flowers that match your enjoyment of our lovemaking this morning. Lets go down stairs before everyone starts wondering if something happened to us."

When Fred and Wesley came down they found everyone sitting around the lobby. Dr. Martin and Hunter were just coming out of the clinic. They still had their surgical scrubs on and were talking a mile a minute.

"How is Angel?" Cordelia asked. "Can I go and see him?"

"He is still sleeping but you can go and sit with him. It will give Dr. Thompson a break." Dr. Martin answered. "Where there any problems?" Wesley asked as he stood up. "He did just fine. We were able to extract five of the bullets without any problems." Hunter answered this time. "What do you mean you extracted five, what happened to the 6th bullet." Hunter and Dr. Martin went and sat down at two of the chairs in the lobby. Dr. Martin called out for Cordelia. When she came in Dr. Martin told her to come and sit down with them.

"Is their something wrong Mom." "Cordelia we had a small problem when we went to get the 6th bullet. It wasn't where it was supposed to be. We had to do further cutting to try and find the bullet. It's a good thing I had you do such a thorough job of shaving Cordelia because it was a bullet that was by the hip bone and we had to cut more to the center to get the bullet. Well everything worked out okay but we had to work around the muscles that his body uses quiet frequently. Hunter, Mike and I talked about this and we think he will be okay. I think that Angelus is going to make sure he heals real fast. Cordelia make sure you let me know if you notice anything wrong. He may not want to tell me. Men being what they are that is, and that is it. Cordelia would you tell Mike that Hunter and I are going upstairs to my room to clean up and change and that he is to stay down here until I come down."

Dr. Martin and Hunter went upstairs then. Cordelia went to pick up Kathleen who was now awake. She changed her then went into the clinic. Angel was sitting up and Mike was checking the incisions where they took the bullets out. He could see the lines of healing electricity running across the incisions.

"I knew you must be awake since Kathleen was awake." Cordelia said as she came in and took a seat next to Angel.

"What do you mean you knew I must be awake because Kathleen was awake?" "Angel you have some kind of connection with Kathleen. When you were sleeping the other night I noticed that whenever you started moaning in your sleep from the pain Kathleen would wake up and fuss a little. When you went into a deep sleep she would go back to sleep also." "I might of just woke her up with the noise I was making." "I thought that also at first but later on when she woke up for me to change her and feed her you turned your head towards me when I sat back down and as Kathleen started nursing your mouth started moving just as though you were nursing also. I put the side of my finger to your mouth like you've seen me do with Kathleen and you started sucking on my finger."

Angel took his daughter into his arms. He just stared at her for awhile. "If she can sense my mind then I think are little girl will learn much faster then a normal child of her age." He gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead then took her little hands in his and kissed them. He turned to Cordelia with nothing but love in his eyes for her and kissed her also.

Wesley and Connor came in to see if Angel was awake yet. "Well your looking okay. Are you ready to go after our judges and jailors." Wesley asked. "No not yet, I need to get some exercise in to get in shape. Right now I don't think I could take even Connor here." Angel gave Kathleen back to Cordelia and slid down off of the table. He would of landed on his knees if Wesley and Connor hadn't been their. The movement stretched his freshly healed groin muscle and it caused some pain. He got up slowly this time.

"That should teach you a lesson to take it easy today." Mike said as he got up to look at his pager that had just gone off.

"Well I hope that the ladies are done because I have to go and change. The stork is hovering over another one of my ladies and I have to get going. I'll see you later tonight." "Thanks Dr. Thompson for all of your help." Angel said. "Any time Angel." He left to go upstairs then. Mike knocked at the door. Their was no answer so he opened the door carefully. "Anyone here?" No answer. He went in and got dressed then left. He had an idea where they were since he didn't see them. Hunter had talked to him about her life and how she was thinking about how Angels was going since he had excepted God in his life now. She had spoken to Mary once before and he was pretty sure that they were up in Mary's makeshift psychiatric office. He quickly left and went to his car and onto the new baby.

"I think I'll go to my room for the afternoon. Is their some blood in the refrigerator up their for me." Angel asked Cordelia as he tried a few steps more carefully.

"Yes I put some in their just last night." It took Angel a long time but he finally made it. He was holding onto his groin as he sat down on the bed. Connor helped him take his robe off and then to lie down. Cordelia had laid Kathleen on the bed and made Angel his mug of blood.

"Could you get the bassinet for me Connor?" Cordelia asked. "Sure I'll be right back." Fred came up with Connor. "Here you go." "Thanks Connor. I think Angel will sleep for awhile now. He'll probably want to work out later today so you better rest up also." Connor left then. Fred called Cordelia over to her bedroom where Buffy was waiting also.

When she came into Fred's room she came and sat on the bed by Buffy. "What's up Fred?" Cordelia asked.

"I did it Cordy. Your advice worked and we did it." Fred fell backwards on the bed. She had a big smile on her face.

"How was it?" Buffy asked. "It was beautiful. I don't think I've ever flown so high." Fred sat up and hugged Cordelia and Buffy. "After I gave the Fred special to Wesley he gave me the Wesley special." Fred laughed. "After we were done I couldn't remember why I was so nervous about having sex like that."

"Now you can go onto role playing." Buffy said. "Role playing, what is that?" Fred asked.

"You and Spike do that?" Cordelia asked. "Oh yeah, he has quiet an imagination. His favorite one is Zorro." Cordelia and Fred laughed. "You'll have to tell me what you guys do later but I have to go and be with Angel. He needs to sleep for the next couple of hours and he sleeps better when I am with him. I'll see you girls later tonight. Could you and Fred go and get me another bassinet. I need one to be downstairs and one up stairs. That way then we won't have to drag the one back and forth. Fred has the agency credit card. I'll see you girls later." Cordelia returned to her room. Angel was asleep and holding onto Kathleen. She closed the door behind her, got undressed and slipped in beside her daughter and Angel. She took the blanket off of her daughter and pulled the covers over all of them then went to sleep.

* * *

TBC...


	16. Chapter 16

The Gift

Chapter 16

The next day Angel was up at 3 A.M. and down in the basement gym. They had only one piece of exercise equipment which was a bench for lifting weights. All other exercises were free style. He had the laundry table pushed up against the washing machines and had started out with just doing simple stretching exercises. When he was done with those he was about to do some sit ups when he heard the basement door open. He knew it was Connor.

"I know it's you Connor, come and join me." Connor came down and removed his shirt without saying anything. While Angel waited for him he started to do some work with the weights. Connor and Angel worked at the exercises for the next 3 hours. By 7 A.M. they made their way back to their upstairs bedrooms. Cordelia was still sleeping so Angel just went into the bathroom and closed the door and started the water in the whirlpool bath. As he waited for the bath to fill he heard Kathleen crying. He went to the bassinet and picked her up. He smelled nuclear waste though so he checked her diapers and whispered to her 'Tell me my dear little Kathleen, why is it that it goes in white but it comes out dark and stinky'. Angel wrinkled his nose and started to clean his daughter up. He put a clean diaper on her and then checked on the bath. It was full so he turned the faucets off.

The next problem was how to feed her since Cordy hadn't started using a breast pump to fill bottles up yet.

"Well since I can't feed you lets go and have some fun while your Mommy sleeps." Angel carefully took her clothes and diaper off again and went to the bathroom. He was so absorbed with Kathleen that he didn't notice that Cordelia was awake. She didn't say anything though and just laid still. She watched her big, scary, naked, Vampire husband carry their tiny daughter into the bathroom and heard him talking to her all of the time as he carefully lowered himself into the water.

Cordelia got up and put her robe on then grabbed the movie camera. She started the camera rolling before she went to the bathroom so Angel couldn't hear the clicking sound of the camera as she turned it on. Angel was constantly talking to his daughter and she was looking towards him. She seemed to be listening to every word that he was saying. He slowly lowered her into the water and was careful that the top of the water didn't come near her face. Angel put his knees up and rested his daughter on them while he grabbed her soap and wash rag.

Cordelia thought it was so cute the way he was talking to her. Kathleen seemed to be hypnotized by the sound of her Daddy's voice. Angel carefully washed his daughter then rinsed her off. He put a small amount of baby shampoo in his hand and proceeded to wash Kathleen's dark red hair. When he was done he took the plastic cup that Cordelia kept by the bathtub and carefully rinsed her hair.

Cordelia walked into the bathroom then and put the camera down on the counter. Angel looked at her. "Good morning Mommy." "Good morning Daddy, are we busy having some quality time with our daughter." "Yes we sure are." Angel said as he continued to rinse his daughters hair. Cordelia took her robe off and took Kathleen out of Angels hands. She sat between his legs but then she saw that her breasts were below the top of the water.

"Angel put your legs together so I can sit in your lap. I can't feed her when I'm sitting between your legs." Angel lifted Cordelia up then placed her on top of his legs. She leaned against him then and put Kathleen to her breast. They sat like that for the next 10 minutes while Kathleen had her breakfast. When she was done and falling asleep Cordelia got up and out of the bath to take care of her daughter. "Don't get out yet Angel I'll be right back as soon as I put her in the bassinet. The water is getting cold though can you let some of the water out and fill it with hot water?" "Yes Mam I think that can be done."

Angel could hear Cordelia patting her daughters back in order to make her burp. She put baby oil on her daughter then placed her diaper back on. She dressed her in a yellow sleeper then placed her in the bassinet and pulled it over to the bathroom. Angel had warmed the water up and started the whirlpool. Cordelia slipped into the water and started to bathe herself. Angel had already cleaned himself and started to wash her hair. Cordelia sank below the water to rinse her hair. They sat for awhile then and just let the jets shoot the water over their sore muscles. Angel was sore from the workout and Cordelia was still sore from the delivery.

"Lets get out Angel your hands are looking all wrinkled. Besides I want you to help me with a small problem." They got out of the bath and dried off and pulled the bassinet over by the bed.

"What's the problem you need help with?" "I saw you having a problem with how to feed Kathleen. The only way that I can start producing more milk Angel is if what I have is used up. When that happens then my breasts will start producing more milk and then I'll be able to pump them and put milk into bottles so that you can feed Kathleen when I'm not around or sleeping. Kathleen isn't drinking enough to empty them so I thought what you could do is drain them every day to see if that would work."

In answer Angel picked her up and put her on the bed. "Are you sure that you'll have enough for Kathleen the next time she wakes up?" "According to Mom I should start producing more milk right away. Do the left one first Angel because I fed Kathleen off of the right one."

Angel laid on the bed also and took her left breast in his mouth and started to suckle. He was doing it in the same way he always did when they were having sex and it was hurting her.

"Not so hard Angel your hurting me." He immediately let up a little. He drank the milk as he suckled at her breast and when he didn't get any more he switched over to the right one. When he was done he laid down on his back. "How do you feel?" "Good, my left breast was starting to hurt but it's okay now. Do I need to burp you?" Angel laughed. "No, I think I'll be okay. Are you ready to get up now?" "Yeah lets go downstairs. I'm starving."

As usual everyone was down at the dinning room table when they came down stairs. "Good morning everyone." Everyone returned their greeting. "Good morning Martin Family."

"Who hasn't held Kathleen yet?" Giles hand is the only one that went up. "Here you are Giles. This will be good practice for when you have to babysit for Buffy and Spike." Cordelia placed her daughter into Giles arms then went to the kitchen and started some soft boiled eggs and toast for Angel and herself. Angel took care of the drinks. By the time the eggs and toast were ready the drinks were ready also and they made their way back to the table.

Angel looked at Spike. He didn't realize that he was staring at him until Cordelia kicked him under the table. "Oww! What did you do that for?" Angel said loudly.

"Don't you know that it is impolite to stare at people?" Cordelia said. "People yes but I was staring at Spike." Angel looked back at Spike.

"Spike I do believe you have dark circles under your eyes. Let me guess as to the cause. Hmmm. Let me see now. As I recall when Cordelia was having morning sickness and I would get sick right along with her you would let me know how bad I looked. Now your looking the same way that I used to. Let me see. Buffy is experiencing morning sickness and your having it also. Am I right or not?"

"Yes your right." Spike answered. He let his head hit the table.

Angel jumped up from the table and did a little dance jig around the lobby. He was smiling and laughing all of the way. When he finally returned to the table he just sat down and started opening his soft boiled egg. He couldn't keep from smiling all through the process.

"Are you done yet?" Spike asked as he drank some cold blood. "Yes I think so."

"Why are you so bloody happy about me being sick like you were?" "Because my dear boy you always get off easy on everything that I have a hard time with and now your going to be paying just as much as I have. Hah!"

"Cordelia make him stop picking on me when I'm down. Poor Buffy is upstairs resting. You should go and see her and give her some advice on how to handle it."

"Your right Spike I'll go and see her. Did we run out of tea Willow?" "Yes, I called the midwife and she is having some shipped overnight. It should be here tomorrow morning." "I think I have some in my purse. I'll go and make her some." Cordelia started to walk out then she stopped by Dr. Martin and whispered to her, "Watch them Mom, as soon as I leave I think Spike is going to jump Angel." Dr. Martin smiled at her and just patted her hand to let her know that she would take care of them. She then touched Giles arm and nodded towards Spike and Angel. They all watched for the inevitable.

As soon as Cordelia turned the corner and was out of sight Spike jumped up on the table and landed on Angel. He was just about to start eating his soft boiled egg when he found himself on the floor. Everybody got up from the table and moved to the lobby to get out of the way. They all just took a seat while the two boys had it out. By the time they were done two chairs were broken and worst of all the bassinet was broken. The NEW bassinet. It was over as fast as it started. Spike went running to the bathroom under the stairs and Angel ran to the clinic.

Dr. Martin got up and started to take the plates off of the table. Willow, Fred, and Tara went to help. Angel came out of the clinic a few minutes later and went to the kitchen to get some ice and a towel. He went over to the bathroom where Spike was and knocked on the door.

"Spike can I come in?" "No, stay out, I'm not in the mood for your teasing." "I have a towel and ice for your headache. Come on out and lay down on the couch. Believe me when I say 'been there done that'."

Angel heard Spike opening the door. He backed up and looked at Spike then guided him over to the couch and helped him to lay down. "Here is the towel and ice. It was the only thing that would help me." Angel put it on Spikes forehead and put Spikes hand on it.

"I thought I was going to be spared this since she wasn't getting sick. It hit her for the first time last night when we went to bed. Then again this morning. Angel I haven't had any blood since yesterday morning and I am starting to feel weak." "I'll get you some blood, stay right here." Angel went into the kitchen and poured some blood into a large glass for Spike.

"How's he doing?" Dr. Martin asked Angel. "He's okay. He has a bad headache right now and is weak from the lack of blood. He said that they lost their evening meal when they went to bed and then this morning when Buffy woke up she got sick again. They tried eating something and they both lost it again. I wonder if Buffy is sick with the flu and it's not just morning sickness." "It could be, I'll go and check on her. Tell Cordelia that if she hasn't given her the tea yet to wait until I can check her." Dr. Martin went with Angel to go and check on Spike.

"How are you feeling Spike?" Dr. Martin asked. Hunter and Dr. Thompson had already left for the day so she had to check on Spike and Buffy by herself.

"I think there is something else wrong with Buffy Dr. Martin. We've been sick too much within a short amount of time." "That's what Angel said also. Drink your glass of blood Spike and I'll go and check on Buffy." Dr. Martin left to go upstairs. She stopped at her bedroom to get her medical bag first and then went to Buffy's room and knocked at the door.

"Come in." Cordelia said. Dr. Martin came in and went to the bed. "How are you doing Buffy? Spike told us that you've been sick 3 times within the past 12 hours." "Yes, but I feel so bad like I have the flu." "Well let's check you out first before we make any judgement calls."

Dr. Martin checked Buffy's temperature then took a sample of her blood. She then did a regular physical exam. When she was done she told Buffy to stay in bed and rest. "What's wrong with me Dr. Martin? Is the baby okay?"

"Buffy I am going to tell you the truth. I think that you have a 50 chance of losing this baby. But don't forget that I said 50 which means that you still have a 50 chance of keeping it. I am going to check your blood and talk to Dr. Thompson. Buffy I want you to remember though that if you do lose this baby it isn't your fault. I think that we have a problem here that is very much like the Rh factor. If you manage to keep this baby then we will have to develop a serum that will prevent you from having anymore problems with your future pregnancies. Rest now Buffy. Your lucky that you have two doctors that have a lot of years of experience in this. I'll see you later. You can have your tea now."

Dr. Martin went downstairs and asked Fred to come with her to the clinic. They were in there for the next hour. Next she called Willow into the clinic. "Willow can you try to get a hold of your midwife friend so that I can talk to her?" Sure Dr. Martin. Is their something wrong with Buffy?" She isn't doing to good Willow but I don't want too many people in there with her. How is Spike doing now?" "Better, he's sitting on the patio with Angel." Willow answered.

"Why don't you call the midwife for me so I can talk to her now before I talk to Spike. Does she know about Spike and Buffy as to what they are? I don't want to say anything that I shouldn't." "Yes she knows." Willow put the call thru and fortunately the midwife was at home.

Dr. Martin was on the phone with her for the next 30 minutes. When she was done talking to her she then called Dr. Thompson. They talked for the next hour. She then went out to the patio where Angel and Spike were.

When she came through the back doors Spike and Angel stood up. "Sit down, sit down." Dr. Martin came over and sat at the chair that Angel pulled over for her. "How is Buffy doing?"

Spike asked. Dr. Martin pulled her chair over so that she was facing Spike. She took Spikes hands in hers. "What's wrong, your scaring me." Spike said. He looked at Angel then back at Dr. Martin.

"Spike Buffy is having some problems with this pregnancy. I believe it is something like the Rh. factor in humans. In Buffy's case though I believe it is because she is a Slayer and you are a Vampire. The very thing that makes her a Slayer and gives her the strength that she has is fighting the babies blood. There is a 50/50 chance Spike that she will lose this baby. If that happens we will have to develop a treatment that will make it possible for her to carry any future babies to full term. I've discussed the problem with Dr. Thompson and Hunter both and we are going to try different things to try to help her keep this baby. I've also talked to the midwife in Sunnydale and she is going to send over some herbs that are usually given to the mother to prevent miscarriages."

Spike listened to everything that Dr. Martin said. He just stared at her for a few minutes. The tears started to fall then as his head hung low. "It's because of all of the people that I've killed over the years isn't it. I am being punished because of all of the people I killed before I got my soul back." Spike fell to his knees and placed his head in Dr. Martin's lap. "Please God don't take our baby away from us, please, please. I am sorry for all that I did. I was a terrible son. I turned my own Mother into a Vampire then I killed her. I am sorry for all that I did and you can do what you want with me but don't take our baby away from Buffy. She hasn't done anything wrong." Spike was crying so hard that he could barely speak.

Angel went to his knees and took Spike into his arms. "Spike I wish that I could spare you this pain. Did you ever stop to consider the fact that maybe God will take this baby because there is something wrong with it physically. Don't forget that a Slayer must be strong both mentally and physically. If there is something wrong with this baby then it's better that she lose it now. Don't you agree?"

"Yes." Spike said after he was able to get control of himself.

"Don't blame yourself for anything that may happen Spike. My Boss doesn't work that way. Now I want you to get control of yourself because you have to be strong for Buffy. Mom would you get some ice cubes to place on his eyes so the swelling will go down before he goes upstairs?" "Sure Angel I'll be right back." Dr. Martin went into the kitchen and brought back 2 ice cubes in paper towels.

Spike sat back in his chair and Dr. Martin placed the ice cubes on his eyes and around them. When she thought they had gone down as far as they would in the space of time they had she took them off.

"When you go to Buffy Spike don't pretend that everything will be alright. Don't give her false hopes. Just remember Spike, and I want you to tell this to Buffy, the Rh. factor problem is more common than you think. Before we knew how to treat the problem many baby's were lost. Now go to your wife."

Spike went up the stairs very slowly. He stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back at Dr. Martin and Angel and simply said "Thank you."

For the rest of the day Dr. Martin was working with Fred in the clinic. That evening when Dr. Thompson and Hunter returned they joined her. Dr. Martin was hoping that Hunter might have previous experience with a problem like this but she hadn't. They worked through the night and were finally able to come up with a serum to administer to Buffy so that she wouldn't have another miscarriage. They were all pretty tired so they went to bed.

The next morning Dr. Martin heard someone knocking at the door. She looked at her clock. It was 7 A.M.. She had only been sleeping for 3 hours. She put her robe on and went to the door. When she opened it she saw the look on Spike's face and she knew without asking. Buffy had, had a miscarriage. She reached up and gave Spike a hug. "I'll be there in a minute Spike." He let her go then and returned to his room.

Dr. Martin went over to Giles room and knocked on the door. Giles pulled his glasses on then pulled his robe on and opened the door. When he saw Dr. Martin he knew that something was wrong with Buffy. "Come with me to Buffy's room Giles. She is going to need you." They both went to Buffy's room then. Dr. Martin knocked on the door then opened it with out waiting for someone to answer.

She saw the blood covered sheets sitting on the floor that Spike had removed. He had even put new clean sheets on the bed and helped Buffy to clean up and put a clean nightgown on. As soon as she saw Giles she put her arms out to him and Giles went and sat on the bed next to her and took her into his arms. They were not connected by blood but as far as they were concerned they were father and daughter, "I lost the baby Daddy, I lost the baby. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She was crying so hard that she almost couldn't catch her breath. It was the first time that Giles had ever heard her call him Daddy. He hugged her and rocked her back and forth. "It's not your fault Buffy, these things happen. It's not your fault. You and Spike didn't do anything wrong." Since Giles was their Dr. Martin went down stairs to get the serum they had made only a few hours ago. She grabbed the pole to hand the bag of serum from and the tubing and needle that she needed so that she could administer it to Buffy as soon as possible.

Dr. Martin went back into the room and put the pole next to the bed. Buffy's cries had slowed down. "Giles let me get in here so that I can hook Buffy up to this magic solution here."

"What is this for?" Spike asked. "Buffy and Spike, Fred, Dr. Thompson, Hunter and I were working on a serum all night that would prevent this from happening again. With Freds help and her knowledge of chemicals we were able to come up with the right formula about 4 hours ago. Now you won't have to worry about losing your next baby. I have to administer the serum right away because if I don't your body will start building up antibodies against your next baby." Dr. Martin stopped a moment and looked at Buffy. "Buffy you didn't do anything wrong to lose this baby." "Maybe were not supposed to have children together Dr. Martin. I am supposed to kill his kind but here I am in love and married to the very person that I should be killing. This marriage is wrong. It's unholy and that is why my baby was taken away." Buffy was sinking into a deep depression that could be dangerous for her and Spike.

Angel was listening to what was going on in Spike and Buffy's bedroom. He was telling Cordelia what was being said as it happened. After hearing what Buffy had said Cordelia felt it was time for her to put in her two cents. She got up and told Angel lets go. "It's time to pay a visit to Buffy and Spike." She picked up Kathleen along with a diaper and quickly walked down to their bedroom.

Giles was blocking the way when Cordelia came to the door.

"Excuse me Giles may I come in?" "Yes of course Cordelia." Giles backed away and let both Cordelia and Angel in. "Mom can I sit by Buffy please." Dr. Martin got up then and let her sit next to Buffy.

"We heard what you were saying Buffy and we know that you had a miscarriage." Cordelia put Kathleen down on the bed and opened the snaps on the sleeper so that she could change her diaper.

"Tell me Buffy, when you look at this perfect beautiful baby girl with all of her fingers and toes just as perfect as the rest of her, how can you say that she is the result of an unholy union between Angel and I. The love that you and Spike share is just as good as the love that Angel and I share. Look at all of the problems that Angel and I have had to endure in order to have Kathleen. Do you think that you are better then me and that because you're the Slayer you shouldn't have any problems. This may come as a shock to you Buffy but when it comes to being a woman and all of the problems that come along with being a woman we are on an even playing field. Don't forget that I lost my first baby also. True it was under different circumstances but none the less I lost it. Now you have been given your orders just like the rest of us."

"What orders?" Buffy asked as she wiped her tears away and blew her nose. Seeing Kathleen was making her forget her miscarriage for a moment as she watched Cordelia change Kathleen and bundle her up again.

"The orders that were passed on to you and Spike by Mom. She said that the next Slayer will no longer be created when the current Slayer dies. From now on the current Slayer will have one daughter that will take on the duties of the Slayer when the current one either dies or passes on her duties as slayer to her daughter. Spike was to take the name of Summers so that the name would continue on thru you. So their you have your proof Buffy that God approves of your union." Cordelia picked up Kathleen then bent over and gave Buffy a hug and kiss on her cheek.

"I promise you Buffy that you will survive this, just like Angel and I did. Get some rest now. Good night." "Good night Cordelia and thank you." Everyone left then. Dr. Martin picked up the sheets and took them down to the laundry room and put them into the machine with cold water and bleach and left them to soak. She went back upstairs then and to Giles room to see if he was in bed yet. The bed was empty though so she went to her bedroom and found him there in her bed. She took her robe off and crawled into bed along side of him. She looked at him and even though it was dark in the room she could sense that he had been crying. She gently wiped them away with her fingers and kissed him. "She will be alright now Giles. Go to sleep now and everything will be much better in the morning. Good night my Big Stud Muffin." That made him smile and he gave her a kiss then held her close to his chest. He felt better with her beside him. Within minutes they were both asleep.

The next morning Dr. Thompson and Hunter came over. It was Saturday so they were off for the day. Everyone was at the Dinning room table as usual. Angel and Connor had been up at 3 A.M. in the morning exercising. He was going to ask Spike and Hunter to help him to see if he was back in shape so that they could go after the judges and guards.

"Where is Buffy and Spike?" Dr. Thompson asked Dr. Martin. As he went into the kitchen to get something to drink.

"They're still upstairs. Do you want to go up and see them or would you like Buffy to come down here?" "Why don't you ask her to come down here." Dr. Thompson said.

Dr. Martin went to the phone and called Spike and Buffy's room and told them Dr. Thompson was here and wanted to see Buffy.

"Lets go Buffy. We have to face them sooner or later. Besides Mike will want to know what happened and what has been done for you." Buffy didn't move.

"Buffy are you admitting that Cordelia has more guts than you do. She was raped, beat up within an inch of her life and had a miscarriage. Are you telling me now that she is braver than you are? Where is my Slayer that I know is in there?" Buffy still didn't move.

Spike didn't say anything for awhile, he was trying to think of something to say that would get her moving.

"Buffy I think that Angel is going to be ready soon to go after those judges. If you don't get up and start walking around he is going to think that your to sick and weak to go with us. If I were you I would see this as an opportunity to take out all of your anger on some demons that don't deserve to live let alone pass judgement on someone else." That did it, he hit a nerve. Buffy got up and walked out the door to go downstairs. Spike followed her out the door. He kept his head down so that she couldn't see the big grin on his face.

Buffy went down the stairs and over to the dinning room and straight to Angel.

"Spike tells me you are just about ready to go after the judges?" "Yes I am. I've been training early in the morning. I was going to ask Spike and Hunter to help me this afternoon to see if I am ready yet."

"Let's go downstairs then and I'll work out with you." "Buffy don't you think that it's a little to soon." Angel said as he got up from the table.

Buffy stopped and turned around and looked at everyone. "I am the Slayer, I heal just as fast as Spike, Hunter, Connor or you." With that said she turned around and went down to the basement.

"Hunter do you think it's okay for her to fight?" Angel asked. She would be the best one for him to test himself with but he didn't want to have to hold any punches.

"Well if she isn't okay we'll find out soon enough and like she said she is the Slayer and she heals fast. What do you say Spike she is your wife?"

"I think she will be okay. She stopped bleeding a few hours ago. I wouldn't have allowed her to go if I didn't think she could take it yet."

Buffy yelled at Angel from down in the basement. "Are you coming down old man?" Angel gave a long suffering look and walked down stairs.

"Come on guys lets go and watch Buffy kick Angels ass." Cordelia picked up Kathleen and went downstairs. She chose to sit on the folding table which Angel had pushed up against the washing machine. Dr. Martin and Giles came and sat with her. The rest scattered around the stairs and basement.

Angel removed his jacket, shirt and shoes. Buffy removed her jacket only. At first they just circled each other, waiting for each other to make the first move. Buffy attacked first. She swept Angels feet out from under him but he was on his feet within the next second. He landed a kick to her thigh and Buffy went down. Angel jumped on her and wrestled her into a choke hold. This went on for fifteen more minutes when Spike jumped in also. He was doing his best to hold Angel back with his arm around his neck while Buffy came at him with her feet going into his chest. At the last second though Angel tossed Spike over him. Hunter jumped in then and between all three of them they were finally able to make him cry uncle.

"Alright guys I give up." When they let go of him he surprised them by grabbing onto Spikes head and flipping him over his head. Then he kicked Hunter in the side and tossed her into Buffy and they both went down. Without really thinking about it Buffy grabbed a broom that was near by, broke it over her knee, and threw them one right after the other at Spike and Angel. As soon as she did it Cordelia screamed. Angel and Spike turned around. One of the sticks hit Spike in the left side just inches from his heart. The other one hit Angel in the middle of his neck. The blood was spurting out all over him. If Cordelia had not screamed when she did both of the Vampires would be dust. When she screamed they came out of the positions they were in which was what Buffy had aimed at.

Dr. Martin ran to Angel while Dr. Thompson and Hunter went to Spike. The wooden spike had torn the artery going into Angels brain and since the blood was coming out instead of going to his brain he had lost consciousness. She pulled the spike out and the blood was literally spurting like a fountain. Unfortunately Angels heart had been beating fast because of the exercise in fighting and it was pushing his blood out fast. Dr. Martin put her finger in the hole in the artery which slowed the bleeding down. She looked around for someone to help her.

"Wesley we have to get him upstairs and I can't move my finger from his neck." "Your going to have to remove your hand or else we can't take him up." Wesley said.

"I'll take him up real fast Grandma. Why don't you get the gurney Wesley and let me know when your ready and I'll bring him up." Wesley and Xander ran for the gurney and were back in just one minute. "Okay Connor bring him up." Wesley yelled down the basement. Dr. Martin let go and Giles helped Connor pick up Angel then he put him over his shoulder. Connor had Angel up the stairs and on the gurney within less the 30 seconds.

Dr. Martin ran up the stairs and followed the men to the clinic. Once they were there she was able to get everything she needed and fix the tear in Angels artery.

Once Angel and Spike were taken cared of Giles realized that Buffy wasn't with them. He went back to the basement and looked around. He couldn't see her any place. He went up to the second floor and checked their bedroom but it was empty. He went back downstairs to the basement again. He spotted Willow and Tara taking care of Kathleen while Cordelia was with Angel. "Willow have you seen Buffy?" "No Giles I haven't." Willow gave Kathleen to Tara and started to help Giles look for Buffy.

Willow got Xander to help them. They searched the whole building for the next hour and couldn't find her. Spike shouldn't have been up and walking around but he got up as soon as he could to look for her. Since Angel had lost so much blood he was still unconscious while they were replacing what he had lost.

By 12 midnight they still couldn't find her until Spike and Willow went downstairs to the basement again. Spike went around the room slowly listening for her heartbeat and searching for her scent. Willow stayed in the center and tried to be as quiet as possible. Spike heard something so he went over by the table that had been pushed up against the washing machines. He got down on his knees and crawled under the table and crawled back between the large industrial size washing machine and the regular washing machine. In between the two machines he found his wife.

"Buffy come out of there we've been looking all over for you." She didn't respond, in fact all she did was stare at him. She had herself so far back in between the machines that Spike couldn't reach her. He crawled back out. "See if you can talk her out Willow she is in shock and won't respond to me."

Willow crawled under the table and talked to Buffy. Willow reached out for her hand but Buffy pulled back even further. She had jammed herself so far back that Willow couldn't understand how she could breath.

"Please come out Buffy, Spike and Angel are alright. You got caught up in the excitement of the practice fight. Spike and Angel don't blame you. No one does. Come out now and come and see Angel and Spike."

Buffy looked at Willow then turned her head away.

Everyone that was able to came down to the basement once Spike told Giles and Dr. Martin. Willow was crawling out from under the table. She went to Giles.

"She isn't responding Giles. If you reach out for her she just pushes herself further back between the machines. I don't know how she can breath she is so far back."

"Did her mother call her by any other name or did you ever hear her call Buffy something like baby or sweetheart or something like that?" Dr. Martin asked Willow.

"No I never heard her call Buffy anything but Buffy. She would call her sweetheart and baby some times but nothing special."

Dr. Martin got on her knees and crawled under the table. She didn't go directly to Buffy she stayed a little to the side so that she couldn't see her.

"Buffy, Buffy are you in here." Dr. Martin called out. Then she didn't say anything for awhile.

A minute later she tried again. "Buffy do you know where Dawn is? You were supposed to be taking care of her."

Once again she waited for Buffy to respond. "Mom, Mom is that you." Buffy asked. She sounded like a little girl again.

"Buffy why are you in there? If your in there you must have done something wrong. You always hide in there when you think you've done something wrong. Come and sit down beside me and we'll talk about it and I will decide if you have done something wrong and then I will decide if you need to be punished or not."

Dr. Martin could hear Buffy struggling to get out. "Mom is Daddy with you." "Yes sweetheart. He was helping me to look for you."

"Daddy." Giles stepped forward. "Yes Buffy, Daddy's right here."

"Daddy I'm stuck. Can you move the table away then help me?" "Sure Buffy, anything for my little girl." Giles pulled the table away from the machines then went to Buffy and took her outstretched arm. He pulled and she pushed with her legs. When she finally came out they could hear the sides of the machine pop back into place. Giles pulled Buffy into his arms and hugged her.

"Don't ever do that again Buffy. You scared your mother and I. We thought we had lost you." "I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry." "You better go to your mother now and talk to her. Buffy, no matter what you do, no matter how terrible you think you've been, remember that Daddy will always love you." Buffy hugged him again then went and sat down on the floor next to Dr. Martin. Giles went back into the shadows with the rest.

"Now tell me what it is that you think you did that was so terrible." Dr. Martin put her arm around Buffy at first then removed it and just held her hand.

"I think I hurt Dawn real bad Mom. I think that is why she isn't here. I think she ran away from me because she was afraid of what I would do to her." "Why, what happened."

"I was looking for my baby doll and when I found her she was broken into tiny pieces under my quilt. I thought Dawn had broken it and put my baby doll under the covers to hide it. I couldn't find her around the house so I went back to my room and I saw her taking my sheets off of the bed and throwing them on the floor. I accused her of breaking my doll and I hit her and threw something at her." "What did you throw at her?" "I'm not sure but I think I broke a broom in three pieces and I threw one of them at her. She had a friend with her so I threw the other one at her friend which made them go away. Momma I felt so bad when I found that I had broken my baby doll and it wasn't Dawn at all. It was all my fault Momma. I took it out on Dawn and her friend and it was all my fault." Buffy started crying then.

"Buffy it wasn't your fault. Your Father and I were very proud of you and the way you took care of your baby doll. You did everything that you are supposed to do when you have a baby doll to take care of. You know what I think happened to your baby doll?"

"No."

"I think that something was wrong with the way she was made. She looked perfect and she sounded perfect but something was just wrong with the mix that was used to make her, but that happens sometimes Buffy, no matter how careful we mommies are sometimes these things happen and we have to learn to except it and not blame ourselves or those around us. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think I do now. I'm sorry I made you and Daddy worry. I have to tell Dawn and her friend that I'm sorry also."

"You can do that later. Mommy wants you to sleep now it's very late." Dr. Thompson had anticipated that Dr. Martin would want Buffy to sleep so he had brought something to make her sleep along with a glass of water.

"Take this Buffy and it will help you to sleep. When you wake up everything will look a lot better." She gave her the pill with the glass of water.

"Now lay down and go to sleep. Mommy will stay right here with you, okay?"

"Thank you Mom I feel much better now." Dr. Martin held her in her arms and rocked her until Buffy was in a deep sleep.

"You can take her upstairs now Spike and put her to bed."

Spike came and took Buffy from Dr. Martin and took her upstairs.

Giles helped Dr. Martin up. "Do you think she will be okay now?"

"I don't know Giles when she wakes up again we will know whether this worked or not. I am going to go and check on Angel."

Angel was sitting up now. He was still feeling weak but Cordelia was in the kitchen fixing him a glass of blood.

"How are you feeling now?" Dr. Martin asked as she felt his head. It was cool to the touch which put her mind at ease. He was usually running a fever after getting hurt.

"How is Buffy doing?" Angel asked. "Is she worried about what she did?"

"She was taking it very hard Angel. You know that we have been looking for her all day. We must have gone through this place from top to bottom several times looking for her. Willow and Spike finally found her downstairs hiding between the large washing machine and the regular one. She had jammed herself in there so tightly that Giles had to help her." Dr. Martin proceeded to tell him all about what had happened while he was unconscious.

"How do you feel about what happened Angel?" Dr. Martin took a seat while waiting for him to answer.

"I don't hold it against Buffy if that is what your asking. I even did it myself onetime." "You did, what happened?"

"That green eyed monster jealousy was looking over my shoulder one day. It happened before Cordelia and I admitted to each other that we were in love. She was going out on a date and singing her dates praises and lecturing me on not following her when she went out that night. Anyway as the argument ended she walked out of the kitchen where we were having the argument and it just so happened that I had a kitchen knife in my hand that I was using to cut onions with. She just made me so mad when she got the last word in that, out of frustration at not being able to say something better, I threw the knife at her which I knew wouldn't hit her but I threw it and aimed for the wall on the other side of the lobby. Poor Wesley just happened to choose that time to come in from the outside and the knife got him in the arm. I think that I have never done more groveling in all my life. More groveling than when I asked to come back and work for him for Angel Investigation. He soaked up every bit of it. He had me waiting on him hand and foot for at least a month."

Dr. Martin was laughing at him. "I think that Spike is going to get some major groveling from Buffy also and knowing Spike as I do I know that he is going to take advantage of her." Cordelia came in with a large glass of blood for Angel which he drank down in two gulps.

"Lets get you to bed Angel, it's been a long day." Dr. Martin said as she went to Angel and stood by him as he stood up. Angel stood up slowly and started walking toward the elevator. Cordelia followed them with Kathleen.

Dr. Martin kissed her family good night and went to her bedroom. Giles was their with a roast beef sandwich some chips and her cherished Cherry flavored Cola.

"You must have been reading my mind." "Well it's late and I knew that no one had taken time to eat so I knew you must be hungry. Everyone else was making sandwiches to take to their rooms also. We're all pretty tired." When Giles looked up at Mary after taking a bite of his sandwich he found that he had been talking to himself. She was holding her head up with her hand and had fallen asleep. "Oh well, lets get you to bed." Giles said as he picked her up and placed her on the bed. He took her clothes off and put her under the covers then he covered her sandwich and put it in the refrigerator. He went back to the table and finished his sandwich and sat up for awhile and watched television. After he fell asleep on the couch he woke up and got undressed and crawled into bed with Mary. She woke up briefly and Giles pulled her to his chest. They both went back to sleep then.

The next morning Mary woke up early and hungry. She carefully slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Giles was still sleeping when she came out of the bathroom so she quickly grabbed her clothes and dressed. She let her hair hang loose and used a bandana to hold her hair back. It was now 7 A.M. so she went to Spikes and Buffy's bedroom and softly knocked on the door. Spike answered it.

"Come in Dr. Martin." Dr. Martin opened the door carefully but found that it was unnecessary since Buffy was up also.

"How are we doing today?" "We are doing just fine today." Spike answered. Dr. Martin came and sat on Buffy's side of the bed. "Do you remember what happened yesterday Buffy?"

Buffy put her head down. "Yes, I apologize for all of the trouble I caused everyone, but thank you for helping me." "That's good Buffy. If you want to talk about it some more though just tell me okay?" Buffy gave her a hug. "It seems that you have had to become everyones mother and not just Angels. I hope he doesn't mind sharing." "No I don't think he has a problem sharing me with the rest of you it's just Giles that he doesn't want to share me with, but he is working on that also. Now I want you to get up and put a nice dress on. We are going to Church. It's Sunday. I'll expect everyone downstairs by 8:30." Dr. Martin left the room then and went to everyone's room and told them to be ready and downstairs by 8:30 to go to Church.

By 8:30 everyone was downstairs. Even though Giles, Wesley, and Willow were not Catholic they went along. Dr. Martin had called Hunter and Dr. Thompson while waiting for the rest to get ready to leave. They told her that they would meet her at the side entrance to the Church for the 10 A.M. mass.

They all got in to either Cordelia's van or Wesley's SUV and took off for the Church. They arrived with 15 minutes to spare. Dr. Martin had called Fr. Barris and asked him to rope off the 2 front pews on the left because she had a large group of people she was bringing to the 10 o'clock mass.

There was a covered entranceway that allowed people to be unloaded when it was raining. Angel and Spike were able to get out without any problem. After everyone got out Connor parked the mini van. Wesley pulled through and unloaded his passengers then parked his vehicle. Dr. Martin lead everyone in then when Wesley and Connor joined them. The front pew was short and Dr. Martin took this one for her family and Giles. The rest sat in the second pew. Cordelia held Kathleen for most of the Mass then when she started to fuss she handed her over to Angel and she immediately settled down. When communion was handed out Fr. Barris came to the first pew and gave Cordelia and Dr. Martin communion. He stopped in front of Angel before leaving and told him to kneel. Angel did as Fr. Barris said and he was given a special blessing.

When Mass was over they went to the rectory to visit for awhile and make arrangements for Kathleens baptism. By noon they were all hungry and Fr. Barris had to perform the 12 o'clock mass so they left to go home. Buffy and Angel sat in the back with Kathleen while they let Connor do the driving. Dr. Martin sat up front with him. Spike and Buffy sat in the middle seats.

When they were on the road Angel asked Spike and Buffy how they were feeling. "Never better Spike answered." "How are you feeling Buffy? Are you ready for some strenuous exercise?" "Yes I'm ready to go. Do you want to go after the Judges?" "Yes tomorrow evening well go for it. Connor tomorrow evening you will stay here to make sure that nothing happens to the family. I've already asked Hunter to stay and help you." "Okay." Connor answered.

An hour later they were in the Hotel and getting their breakfast/lunch. Everyone wanted to spend some time with their significant other so they took their food upstairs to their own rooms. Angel and Cordelia took a nap after eating. Before he went to sleep Angel listened to the Hotel. It was quiet except for Giles snoring and the beat of his mothers heart close to him. She was sleeping peacefully. He didn't sense Connor though, but then he usually didn't during the day. Where Connor went Angel didn't know since he couldn't follow him during the day. He sensed that he was okay though.

Cordelia had placed Kathleen between them. He looked at his wife and daughter sleeping peacefully. He was thinking of trying a little experiment to see how much influence he had on his daughters mind. He concentrated on touching Kathleen's mind like he did when she was still in her mothers womb. Kathleen stirred a little. She didn't have the muscle strength yet to turnover or lift her head but she did reach out for him with her mind. He put the picture in his mind of Cordelia's breast. Kathleen's mouth started to make a sucking motion as though she were at her mothers breast. Angel laughed to himself. 'Well my little one, it seems that I can have just as much influence on you as you can have on me. This will be interesting as you grow up.' Angel let himself go to sleep then.

By 6 in the evening everyone was up and gathered around the dinning room table.

"So how does this work Giles and Willow?" Angel asked.

"Tomorrow when your ready, and we recommend that it be done at the same time that you were taken, Willow and I will say the proper words to open the portal to the Judges prison cells. We can't put you in the court room because the trail we picked up leads to where you came from when you were returned to us. On these sheets of paper will be the words that you will say when you are ready to come back. Only one of you has to say it, but you all have to be together when you do. We are giving each one of you the return words just in case you are separated." Giles sat back in his chair when he was done speaking and had handed out the papers with the words for the incantation.

Angel didn't say anything he just took the paper and put it in his pocket. He got up from his chair and said "I am going upstairs for awhile Cordy." "Okay Angel." Cordelia said as she watched him go to the elevator. She watched for the floor that it would stop at. Dr. Martin was watching also. When they saw it stop at the fourth floor they knew where he was headed. Cordelia and Dr. Martin just looked at each other.

The women went into the kitchen to start supper. Dr. Martin went over to Cordelia along with Wesley and Giles. "Can you sense what his mental state is right now Cordelia?" "Yes he is very depressed. Why he is depressed though I can't tell. I think we should leave him alone for awhile. He seems to have a problem that he has never had to deal with before."

"I think I know what it is. Angel has everything that he has ever wanted, namely a family. He has Cordelia, who is now his wife, a new baby girl, and now his grown son who is learning to fight beside him so that he can one day take over from his father. I know that if I had all of that after a couple hundred years of dreaming of it and wanting it I wouldn't want to do something that may take me away from it. I think Angel is experiencing fear for the first time in his life. He is afraid that he could die tomorrow."

"He has been through a lot since we got married Wesley, why would he be afraid now?" Cordelia asked as she picked up her daughter who had started crying when Angel left the room.

"That's true Cordelia but he has never chosen to go into a fight. The fights always came his way without his choosing to look for it like he is going to do tomorrow. Angel is learning what it is to be human. Before he was turned he was young and ignorant of how easy it is for human life to cease to function. When we humans are young we think that we are invincible and death or serious injury never crosses our minds. It's why Watchers always try to start working with a Slayer when they are still in their teens." Giles said as he took a seat next to Dr. Martin. He picked up her hand and kissed it.

"I think that this is something that we all have been thinking of lately. I have Fred now and I think Gunn is seeing someone on a regular basis. Giles has "our Dr. Martin" now and Connor is the only one that is still free more or less." Wesley said. He was looking at Fred working in the kitchen all of the time that he was talking.

"Well I guess I better go and talk to him." Dr. Martin said as she started to get up but then Giles pulled her back down.

"I think that Wesley and I should go and talk to him Mary. I guess you could call it a male bonding moment. We'll bring him back down with us for Supper. Cordelia can let Angel know when it's time for dinner." Giles gave Mary a kiss then he went upstairs with Wesley. Before going to the fourth floor they stopped at Angels room and picked up some liquor.

As they came to 412 they knocked at the door and waited for Angel to answer before going in. He didn't answer so Wesley opened the door. They entered and looked around the room. Wesley saw his shoes hanging over the arm of the couch so he walked over to the front of the couch. Angels eyes were open.

"Why didn't you answer when I knocked at the door?" Wesley asked him.

"I was hoping you would go away if I didn't answer." Angel answered as he sat up.

"Well aren't you lucky that we are hard headed and subtle messages like that escape us entirely." Giles said with a grin on his face. He put the bottle of Royal Crown on the coffee table that he had brought from Angels room and Wesley put his bottle of Southern Comfort that he would share with Angel on the table.

"What's all of this, are we going to have a party or just get drunk for no reason at all?" Angel asked as he got up to get some glasses and ice.

"We saw that you had something on your mind that was apparently very difficult for you to deal with. So Giles and I volunteered to come and help you deal with it. I am sure that you are familiar with this tried and true method that human males have used to deal with their problems and fears." Wesley poured Angel and himself a drink and Giles poured his own glass.

"You've been spending too much time with Dr. Martin. Besides what makes you think that I have problems and fears?" "Well lets see now, 2 years ago you didn't have a wife, baby, and a son that now respects you and wants to follow in your footsteps and most of all you were, as far as we knew back then, dead and a Vampire. Have I missed anything Giles?" Wesley said as he lifted his glass and said "Cheers." Giles and Angel did the same and took their first drink.

"Yes you did miss something, he also adopted a mother who has recently become a close, very, very close associate of mine." Giles said with a grin as he poured himself another glass of Royal Crown.

"By the way Angel I wanted to ask you something about what Mary said when you all became unreasonably agitated over our first time of having sex together. Remember what she said when we were getting ready to leave? She put her arms around Buffy and Cordelia and said that I matched you centimeter for centimeter." "Yes but of course that has never been proven. I don't remember anyone mentioning a tape measure being used." They all laughed and had another drink.

"My question is how does she know that? I know that when we were in Ireland that you had that problem with Angelus but I thought that you stopped him before he could penetrate her?" Wesley thought that this was a bad time to ask that question. Giles question may make Angel more depressed which would be the opposite of what they were trying to accomplish.

"I honestly don't know Giles. My conscious was not there to see what he was doing. All I know is that I heard Dr. Martin calling me to come and get Angelus off of her and that is all that I know. Your going to have to ask her if more happened then what she told you at the time." Fortunately Angel had already had enough to drink so that what Giles was asking him didn't have an adverse affect.

This type of conversation went on for the next 30 minutes while they did their best to get as drunk as they possibly could.

They heard a knock at the door and Wesley, with some difficulty, got up to answer the door. Cordelia, Fred and Dr. Martin came in with tacos, refried beans and Mexican rice for all of them. They brought the food in and put it on the kitchen table along with some guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Cordelia brought dishes and silverware out but they treated it like a buffet and filled their plates up then took them back to the coffee table. The ladies sat on the floor by their men, although Angel and Giles tried to get Dr. Martin to sit on a chair. She finally told them "I am not that old gentlemen my knees do still bend." They left her to sit on the floor with the other ladies after that.

When they were done eating they all sat back and watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Angel liked Wheel of Fortune better since it was more of a challenge to him. With Jeopardy he knew almost all of the answers. The men started to get louder as the night wore on and the contents of the liquor went lower and lower. Wesley and Angel were on their second bottle. By the time they were at the end of Wheel of Fortune they almost didn't know what they were talking about. At about this time Willow brought Kathleen up for a feeding.

Willow knocked at the door and everyone yelled "COME IN". As she walked in she could tell that the men were drunk already. She brought Kathleen over to Cordelia.

"Your daughter is hungry Cordelia. She was demanding to be fed so I had to bring her up."

Cordelia took Kathleen from Willow. With practiced ease she unbuttoned her blouse and put Kathleen to her breast. At first Giles and Wesley were uneasy about seeing her do this but they quickly got over it since she had put a blanket over Kathleen and her shoulder.

Dr. Martin saw the looks on their faces and said "You better get used to seeing this guys because with three women on the team expected to produce the next generation you are going to be seeing it frequently."

"Worst of all guys you'll have to learn to share." Angels face turned beet red as soon as he realized what he said. He hid his face behind one hand. The alcohol was making his heart beat more frequently which was enabling his body to show embarrassment. The rest were looking at him and laughing.

"Not me, Mary is beyond that stage so what she's got is alllll... mine." Giles pulled up Mary so she could sit in his lap.

"You started getting extra time with them this morning so no complaining." Cordelia said as she changed Kathleen to her other breast. "I asked him to drain my breasts so that I could start to produce more milk then I could use a breast pump so he could feed her when I wasn't around or I was sleeping."

"What does it taste like Angel?" Wesley asked, he had never dated or been around a woman that was breast feeding so he was curious like most people are.

"Cordelia is sweet, not to much fat content but sweeter than most." Angel said as he licked his lips. It was then that he realized that everyone was staring at him.

"How many lactating women have you or Angelus been with Angel?" Dr. Martin asked as she got off of Giles lap and sat on the floor between his legs.

"I didn't really keep count, but I only remember from when I was in control. In the 18th century after I was first given back my soul I frequently traveled the country side and kept away from the cities. I was in France at the time and as usual their had been another rebellion and a lot of the men had died and women were left to work the farm by themselves. Many of them were left with children and frequently babies. That's where I was when I say I tasted the country side, and I don't mean blood."

"So what are the differences that you remember?" Dr. Martin asked out of curiosity.

"Some were sweet like Cordelia, others were a little salty. Back then meat was preserved in salt so I think that had a lot to do with how their milk tasted. Some women have a high fat content in their milk and their babies were usually rather chubby. Those women usually drank a lot of cows milk and used the cream for baking and making real butter. In those days though the women worked just as hard or more then the men so they didn't gain weight."

"Well to quote Xander 'Man that man got major booty in his time.'" Giles looked at Wesley and they cracked up.

Cordelia handed a cloth to Angel which he put over his shoulder then she gave him Kathleen. He carefully put her to his shoulder and started patting her on her back until she burped. Everyone was watching Angel as he put his legs together and placed Kathleen on top of them. She was looking up at her Daddy and waving her hands around.

"Come over here Mom and sit beside me. I want to show you something." Dr. Martin came over and sat beside Angel. "Watch this Giles and Wesley I am going to talk to Kathleen and she'll understand me." When Giles and Wesley stood over him Angel concentrated and put a picture of Cordelia's breast in his mind. When he did that they could see Kathleen's mouth start to move as though she was sucking at her mothers breast.

"What did you do?" Cordelia asked. "I put a picture of your breast in my mind. When I did that she started making a sucking motion. When you told me that she could influence my mind when I was sleeping I tried it on her this morning when she was laying between us and you were still sleeping I put a picture of your breast in my mind and she started sucking. Right now that's all I can do because she doesn't see things that well yet. I can get into her mind but all I see is Cordelia's and my face and Cordelia's breasts. Right now that is Kathleen's entire world."

"Fascinating, you're a very lucky man Angel that you can do that. Well I am going to bed now. Come on Mary, let the young people clean up." As Giles stood up he swayed a little and Dr. Martin had to hold onto him. "Okay grandpa is tonight the night we get to have sex grandpa?" "Yes grannie it's the 13th day of the 5th month of the year and it's a odd numbered year." "By cracky grandpa I think your right lets get our giddy up and lets go." They bent over and acted like they were leaning on each other just to make it to the door. They both laughed like they were 100 years old and no teeth.

"You two old people want some help?" Angel asked. "No sonny we can make it, thank you."

"If you forgot how to do it grandpa I think Fred still has a copy of my famous movie."

"I assure you that he needs no instructions, his memory is excellent." Angel quickly handed Kathleen over to Cordelia before he made the next remark. "I am going to have to write a letter to Mother Superior and the rest of the sisters so that they will know how your setting a bad example for my son." That stopped Dr. Martin in her tracks just as Giles and her were about to go through the door. She let go of Giles hand and turned around slowly and walked over to Angel.

As she slowly approached Angel he got up from the couch and stood behind Wesley. "I'm sorry Mom I was just kidding really I was. I would never do that honest I wouldn't, please don't hurt me I have a big fight to go to tomorrow and I will need every muscle in my body to be working perfectly." Angel was laughing so hard as he walked backwards and away from her that he fell over a chair and crawled backwards to the corner. Dr. Martin continued to advance on him. When he couldn't go any further she got on her knees and told him something that no one else could hear. All they heard was Angels statement of 'You wouldn't, would you?' Angel stopped laughing.

"You know I don't bluff Angel, except when I play cards that is." Dr. Martin got up then and left with Giles.

"What did she say?" Wesley asked. Angel got up from the floor. "It was too horrible to repeat. Man that woman can get vicious and what's more scary is that she knows how to do it."

"What did she say?" Wesley asked again. "She said the next time she was able to hypnotize me she was going to make a suggestion that would put me in extended dry dock if I should ever carry out my threat." Wesley, Fred and Cordelia started laughing again.

"Come here my poor baby and take your daughter. She needs to be changed so why don't you do that while Fred and I clean up." Cordelia gave Angel Kathleen then went to help Fred. Willow had brought Kathleen's diaper bag so Angel had everything that he needed. Wesley took what was left of the food downstairs to the main kitchen and when the ladies were done they all went downstairs. Angel went to their bedroom and Cordelia helped Fred take the dishes down to the main kitchen. By 12 midnight they were all in their bedrooms and getting ready for bed.

"You guys planned this tonight didn't you?" Angel asked Cordelia as he put his daughter in some sleepers and gave her to Cordelia.

"I didn't plan it. When we saw how you were feeling when you came up here Dr. Martin was going to go up and talk with you but Wesley and Giles said that they knew what the problem was and they would take care of you. When we finished fixing dinner we ladies just decided to join you. I told them you seemed to be doing better and I thought it would be a good idea to join you guys." "Well I appreciate it, I feel a lot better now. Do you think I could show you how good I feel."

"That depends." Cordelia said as she sat down with her back against the headboard and Kathleen in her arms.

"What does it depend on?" "It depends on whether you will take care of Kathleen's nuclear waste diapers that she just filled while I take a shower." Angel didn't say anything for awhile.

"Well?" Cordelia asked. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking." Angel answered as he laid down on the bed and acted like he was weighing the pros and cons. Cordelia gave Angel his daughter and got up to go and take a shower.

"I just love giving your Mommy a hard time." Angel laughed as he cleaned his daughter up. By the time he was done Cordelia was done taking a shower so he handed Kathleen over to her and went to take a shower himself. She was still nursing Kathleen when Angel came out of the bathroom. He turned the overhead light off and crawled into bed. Kathleen was starting to fall asleep so Cordelia pulled her away from her breast and put a cloth over her shoulder so she could burp her. After a few minutes she got a satisfying burp for her efforts. Kathleen went back to sleep within seconds and Cordelia tucked her in, in the bassinet.

Angel started to make love to Cordelia. He kissed her gently on her lips then to each ear. His gentle kisses went down to her neck where he lingered for a while. He started to suck on her neck. "Angel your going to give me a hickey." Cordelia said as she pushed his head away. "I know, that's what I want to do." Angel continued to make love to his wife. He continued placing kisses all over her and stopped at her breasts long enough to empty them. He then continued down to her legs. He pulled her legs apart and started to kiss her inner thighs. She was reaching an orgasm from just his touches.

She reached down and pulled him up to her. As they kissed she guided him into her opening and he pushed in carefully and watched her for any sign of pain. She was still a little big from giving birth but by trying different positions he was able to bring both of them to an orgasm. Angel collapsed on top of Cordelia and laid there for a few minutes. He rolled off and pulled out of her after awhile. Cordelia pulled the covers over them and they slept for a few hours. Three hours later she woke up and started making love to him this time. She threw the covers off and straddled him. When she did this he woke up and pulled her head down to his so he could kiss her. Cordelia grabbed his hands and held them over his head. She reached under the mattress and searched for the handcuffs. When she found them she held it in front of him.

"Look what I found today when I changed the sheets." She opened them and put them around his wrist then through the bars of the head board then around the other wrist.

"You know if I want to I can easily break these." "Yes I know but you won't." She proceeded to make love to him and he couldn't move unless he broke the bars on the head board. She teased him by doing something that Dr. Martin told her about. By the time he reached his orgasm she was the one that had to put her hand over his mouth this time. When it was over he laid their breathing hard. When his breathing slowed down she went into the bathroom to get something to clean him up with. Since he was laying on his back his semen went all over his own body. Kathleen woke up and started crying when she got back from the bathroom and cleaned Angels body with a wash cloth and towel. Cordelia quickly came back and picked her daughter up. She changed her first then climbed into bed and pulled the covers up. After feeding her daughter she put her back in the bassinet then laid down to go to sleep. Just when she was about to fall to sleep she heard Angel clearing his throat and moving the chains.

"Oh I'm sorry Angel I completely forgot about you." She reached over him and grabbed the keys from the night stand and unlocked the cuffs. "Thanks." He got up and went to the refrigerator and poured himself a large glass of blood. He warmed it up then drank it. When he was done he climbed back into bed and encircled Cordelia with his arms. "When are you going tomorrow?" "About 4 P.M.." They both went to sleep then. The hotel was quiet and for now everything was right with the world.

The next morning Angel was up early as usual and working out downstairs. Within a few minutes Buffy and Spike came down and joined him. When Angel saw them he moved further over to the side so they could warm up while he did his pushups. Two hours later they heard everyone else downstairs and starting breakfast.

"Come on you two lets go. They should be done with fixing breakfast by the time we come back down stairs." Angel said as he got up from the floor. They had all been doing situps and they were all covered in sweat." Angel threw them each a towel and took one for himself then went upstairs and to his room to take a shower.

The rest of the day went as usual, no one wanted to discuss the confrontation that was going to take place at 4 P.M.. Connor, Fred and Wesley went out to buy a new bassinet. No one said anything but Connor was also going for his drivers license. The previous week he had taken his tests for his GED and they were waiting for his scores to be mailed.

At 3:30 P.M. everyone was back at the hotel lobby and waiting for Angel, Dr. Martin, and Giles to come down. A few minutes later they all looked to the stairs when they heard doors opening and closing. Angel, Spike and Buffy all stood together.

"Okay Giles we're ready." Angel said.

Giles and Willow started the incantation and within a few minutes a portal opened. Dr. Martin had never seen one before and she was a little scared. Angel, Buffy, and Spike jumped into the portal and it immediately closed behind them.

Kathleen started crying. She sounded as though her little heart had broken. No matter what Cordelia did she couldn't get her to stop. After 30 minutes of constant crying she finally went back to sleep.

* * *

TBC...


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

They arrived in the dungeon where Angel and Wesley had been tortured. Spike stepped forward to look at the wire mattresses that had been used to electrocute them. He gave a low whistle.

"It's a wonder that Wesley survived this." Spike said. "If he had been made to endure what I had he wouldn't have survived. Fortunately for him they had a special hatred for me. Lets go and find the judges so we can get back. Stay with Buffy at all times Mom." Angel said as he was carefully leading them into the hallway from the torture room. Dr. Martin held onto Buffy's hand as they walked through the hallway.

Angel walked ahead of the rest, he used all of his senses to gather any and all bits of information that would tell him about his environment. At the same time his mind was searching his memory for the exact path back to the courtroom. He led them up two flights of stairs then to the doorway that led to the hallway that contained the courtrooms.

They all walked over to courtroom three and walked in. All the guards that had tortured Angel and Wesley were in the courtroom and the three judges were on the bench.

Dr. Martin went to the clerk that was at the entrance to the court room. She acted as though this was a normal day and they were carrying on with business as usual.

"We would like to have some time to address the court. It should only take 10 to 15 minutes." Dr. Martin told the court clerk.

The clerk took the request down and went to the judge when there was a lull in the proceedings. He handed the piece of paper to the main judge. He read the message and then looked up at Angels group.

The judge spoke briefly to the clerk and the clerk returned to Dr. Martin. "Dr. Martin the judge will see you after the current case and he will give you approximately 10 minutes."

"Thank you." Dr. Martin replied.

Angel, Buffy, and Spike all followed Dr. Martin's example and sat quietly and respectfully.

Twenty minutes later the current prisoner was escorted out of the court. Only two guards took him out while the rest all stayed. They were all curious to see what Angel was doing back here. They thought he was either stupid or very brave.

The court clerk called Dr. Martin to come forward. "Dr. Mary Martin is here to speak to the court about the rules that Mr. Angels employer has set for this court."

"Just who is Mr. Angels employer Dr. Martin?"

"God."

"What are the rules that he has set down for us?" The judge had a grin of some sort on his face because he thought that this woman was here to play a monumental joke on him.

Without showing any emotion Dr. Martin stood before the judges and guards and gave the one simple rule that they were to follow. Basically they were to leave everyone in Angel Investigations and the Sunnydale group alone. What they did was none of the judges or courts business.

"What Angel Investigations or the Sunnydale group did is not in this court's jurisdiction. If any further action against these groups is taken, a special emissary will be sent by God to take care of the problem. If you think that you will be able to take care of anyone sent by my Lord I suggest that you check the records as to who kicked your boss out of heaven. Does anyone have any questions?"

The judges just looked at her as though they were thinking 'Who do they think they are coming into our courtroom and laying down the law to us?' "We have no questions. We will give you an answer by tomorrow at this time."

Dr. Martin turned to leave. Angel, Spike and Buffy followed her. As soon as their backs were turned, the lead Judge signaled to the head guard to take them.

The guards jumped them all at once. Angel had five guards on him that he was fighting. Spike had five also. The one that they made a mistake on was Buffy. Apparently they didn't know about her so they pretty much ignored her. They saw a short, petite woman that couldn't possibly be any kind of a threat to so many demons.

Buffy continued to stand by Dr. Martin. When she saw so many of the guards ganging up on Spike she jumped in and started pulling them off of him. Angel was killing demons left and right by breaking their necks. Spike had a sharp wooden spike that he had taken from the legs of a chair. He used this to kill one demon after another. Since Buffy didn't have much weight behind her to put very much force behind her kicks or punches, she used her strength to her advantage by using the demons own bodies to drive their heads into a wall or into another demon. The times that that didn't work she resorted to Angels favorite move and broke their necks.

Dr. Martin was watching on the side. When one of the guards dropped his machine gun, she picked it up and aimed it at the ceiling and fired a few rounds. The force of the kickback from the firing of the machine gun knocked Dr. Martin on her behind. She got up right away because everyone stopped and looked at her. Angel pushed the demons aside and came and took the gun away from Dr. Martin.

"Everyone go over to the front by the Judges stand." All of the demons that could stand walked to the front then turned around. Angel told Dr. Martin to go out to the hallway with Buffy and Spike and told her to start reciting the words to return them to their own dimension and the Hotel. When they were out Angel told the Judges "We will be looking forward to your reply by 4:00 p.m. our time tomorrow."

Angel backed out and used the gun to prevent the doors from opening. He moved over to stand by Dr. Martin, Buffy and Spike. Dr. Martin said the rest of the words to send them back to their dimension.

They re-entered their own dimension with a loud bang. It was so loud when they re-entered their own dimension that Angel heard Kathleen crying. He didn't see Cordelia around so he ran up the stairs to let her know that they were back and they were all okay.

Giles went over to Dr. Martin. "Are you okay?" "Yes, except for my behind when the gun that I shot off knocked me on my posterior." She was rubbing her left cheek as she was telling him about what happened. "My poor baby would you like to go upstairs and I'll fix an ice pack to put on it?" He said it with a grin.

"No I think it will be okay until later, thank you for the offer though." She laughed at his attempted maneuvering to get her upstairs.

Angel came downstairs with Cordelia and Kathleen. He was holding his daughter as they came downstairs. She had quieted down as soon as her Daddy picked her up.

"Lets go and sit down at the dinning room table so we can talk about what went on at court."

Angel said as he came into the Lobby.

They all sat down while Cordelia and Fred brought drinks and snacks over to the table for everyone. Angel told the rest what had happened from the time they left to the time they returned.

"I have to tell you that I have new found respect for Dr. Martin. To use the phrase that they use in the Mafia, Dr. Mary Tares Martin made her bones today. She showed herself to be a person that has what it takes to face down demons when she has to." They all clapped for her as she put down her head because she was blushing and laughing at the same time.

At the same time Angel noticed that Cordelia also had her head down and Kathleen started crying. After a minute Cordelia went to the kitchen and grabbed a pen and paper and started writing down something.

"Here we are guys. I just had a vision. We have a demon attacking several people near the La Brea Tar Pits. I think this means that vacation time is over and it's business as usual." She handed the paper over to Angel and took Kathleen from him.

It was dark now so both Angel and Spike got up to leave along with Buffy, and Connor. Wesley and Gunn started to follow but Angel told them to stay because they had enough.

Dr. Martin came over to Cordelia. "I noticed she was crying while you were having the vision. Let me check her for a minute. Did you notice if she stopped crying as soon as the vision stopped?" "Yes, she stopped as soon as the vision stopped. But I don't think she can see what I see I think she is just reacting to my reaction to the vision." "Are you experiencing any pain when you get them now?" "Just slightly and just enough to get my attention, but I don't have the brutal headaches that I used to get."

Dr. Martin uncovered Kathleen and was examining her. She looked fine though and she couldn't see any residual affects. "She might have had a reaction to your vision because Angel is picking up on some of it also so between the two of you she was caught. This is something that we will have to keep an eye on. I'm not saying that we have to worry about it but I do think that you should keep this at the back of your mind. If you notice anything unusual after the visions let me know." She covered Kathleen back up and held her for a while. Kathleen was looking at her Godmother. Her eyes were starting to show their true color of green.

"This baby is all Irish with those beautiful green eyes and dark red hair. You and Angel are a perfect pair Cordelia. The combination of your DNA has made and will make beautiful babies. Giles' I have to go to do some shopping for my Godchilds baptism do you want to go with me?"

Dr. Martin talked to Kathleen just as though she could understand her.

"I would but Wesley is going to take me to an old used book store that he gets his demon informational books from. Maybe Buffy or Connor will go with you. You shouldn't be going out on your own while Angel is having to deal with the interdimensional court. They might just try to teach him a lesson by hurting someone here."

"He's not kidding Mom these guys can get real nasty. You've seen Angel when they use him so don't take any chances." Cordelia said.

"Okay, I'll wait. Fred your going to have to go with Wesley to get a christening day present for his Goddaughter. It's customary to give a gift to the child so don't let him forget. Next week Friday we will be going to the church with other couples to learn what is done at the Baptism."

Dr. Martin was holding Kathleen and rocking her back and forth. Kathleen's eyes were closed and she was sleeping peacefully in her grandmothers arms.

"I'm going to do some washing Mom. Our little miss here piles up clothes pretty fast." "Okay Cordy I'll be here with our little green eyed lassie." Dr. Martin got up with Kathleen, pulled the new bassinet with her and went to the new rocker that was in the Lobby. She sat down and started rocking Kathleen while Cordy went upstairs to get all of the dirty clothes and then down to the basement where she started up the washing machine. The machine was so noisy that she didn't hear the basement door being closed and locked.

Wesley and Fred were upstairs on the 3rd floor checking on the rooms that had been set aside for classrooms and childrens bedrooms. Gunn was down in the Lobby playing with a new game that he had recently bought for the X-Box. He told everyone that he had to practice playing the game or else Connor would cream him when they played the game together for the first time.

Dr. Martin had placed Kathleen in the bassinet while she went to get something to drink. Gunn heard a loud noise but by the time he turned around to check out the source something hit him and he was out like a light.

Cordelia was done loading the washing machine so she started to go back up to the Lobby but she found the door had closed and had locked. She pounded on the door. "Moooommmmm, Guuunnnn open the basement door I'm locked in. Mooommmm, Guuunnnn open the basement door." When no one came to open the door she went out of the back door and walked around to the front. As she came through the front doors she yelled out "Where is everyone I got locked in the basement and was yelling at the top of my voice for someone to help me. Mom, Gunn where are you?"

Cordelia went over to the bassinet and found Kathleen sleeping as though nothing had happened. After she checked the baby she turned around when she heard a moan coming from the direction of the TV. She ran over to the couch and found Gunn on the floor.

"Gunn what happened? Where is Mom?" Cordelia helped him to get up and sit on the couch.

"I don't know, all I remember was hearing a loud noise then the lights went out." Gunn was rubbing his head. Cordelia went to the kitchen to get an ice pack to put on Gunn's head. By the time she got back to Gunn, Fred and Wesley were coming down the stairs.

"What happened?" Wesley asked as he walked over to the couch where Cordelia was holding an ice pack on Gunn's head.

"Someone locked me in the basement and when I came around the front of the Hotel I found Mom missing, Kathleen was in her bassinet sleeping, and Gunn had been knocked out cold over here." "I'll go and check to see if she is in her room." Fred said as she ran upstairs again.

"I'll check the clinic, she wouldn't leave Kathleen alone like this so she has to be here." Wesley said. He went to the clinic and didn't find her then he went over to the kitchen but Dr. Martin was no where to be found. He went back to Cordelia and Gunn and waited for Fred to come back. Within a few minutes Fred came running back. "She's not up here." Giles came downstairs with her.

"I have a bad feeling about this Wesley. I think the Judges have decided that they are going to teach Angel what happens when anyone tries telling them what to do. He is going to be royally pissed."

"We had all better stay down here together until they come back." Wesley said. They all took a seat around the Lobby to wait for Angel to come back. When Kathleen started crying Cordelia went to her to check to see if she needed changing. She was only wet this time and fortunately Cordelia had everything she needed right underneath the bassinet. Cordelia was doing her best not to get upset with worry about Dr. Martin. She knew that it would be picked up by Kathleen. After cleaning her daughter up she picked her up and sat in the rocking chair so she could feed her.

Giles was watching her. He got up and pulled a chair over beside Cordelia.

"How are you doing Cordelia?" "I am doing my best not to get upset Giles. If I don't Kathleen will sense that something is wrong and I don't want that to happen. So I am going to just sit here, feed my daughter, and think happy thoughts that everything will be alright. Thank you for asking though." She gave him her best million dollar smile and then just closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the rocker.

Giles could see the two tears falling down her cheeks. He took his handkerchief and wiped them away then stood up and gave her a kiss on her forehead. He went back to Wesley's office and joined him.

"Do you think that it's the judges that are behind this?" Giles asked Wesley. "Most definitely don't you think so also?" "Yes, yes. It has to be them."

Giles couldn't hold it back any longer, he put his hand over his eyes and he started to cry. "Why does this have to happen to the women that I fall in love with Wesley. First Angelus took Jenny from me now these demons have taken Mary."

Wesley got up from behind his desk and came and sat next to Giles. He also noticed that Cordelia had come to stand in the doorway. She had been there long enough to have heard what Giles had said. Cordelia then did something that only Cordelia would of had the nerve to do. She came over to Giles and pushed him back in the chair and sat in his lap. She crossed her legs and took Giles glasses off of him and grabbed a Kleenex from the box on Wesley's desk. She carefully cleaned his glasses then wiped his tears away then put his glasses back on him.

"I am going to tell you something Giles about the women in our family. Haven't you noticed what kind of women we are. Haven't you been able to see a quality in each of us women that we share." Giles looked at her and Cordelia could see that he had no idea what she was talking about.

"I don't understand how the men in our group could possibly do the things you do and still yet you have absolutely no idea as to what kind of women you live with. All of us women have great courage to face wherever and whatever you men lead us into. We follow and support you, we take care of you when you've been hurt, we keep your home for you. We all understand the danger of the work we do and we all accept it because we love you. Mom has fit into our family perfectly. She is a brave, and intelligent woman that you have been lucky enough to have a relationship with. Most of all Giles this woman has brought God back into our lives. I don't know if she is still alive or if they will return her to us still alive or in what condition but I do know that she knows that we will do whatever we have to, to get her back and we will take care of her just as she has taken care of us. Gods love and ours will sustain her."

"When did you become so wise Cordelia?" Giles asked her.

"I don't know it just kind of developed over the years with Angel Investigations and Angel. I had a lot of time to think when Angel would spend long periods of time meditating and Wesley here had his nose in demon books or scrolls." Cordelia stood up and started to leave.

"Angel said that they are on their way home and should be here in a few minutes. I've told him that Mom is missing and we think the Judges have taken her." She left then and went to the kitchen to make some coffee and tea. She made several different kinds of sandwiches. Some were roast beef, some were ham and cheese and some were just peanut butter and jelly which was Buffy's favorite. She always had fruit out on the table so all she needed now was bowls of potato chips and Fritoes.

Angel and the rest came in through the back doors. He had come very close to breaking the doors they had hit them so hard as they came through them.

"Okay what happened?" Angel asked Cordelia. She explained what and when everything happened to Angel and the rest.

"Has anyone tried to open the portal again?" Angel asked Wesley and Giles.

"No we thought it would be best to wait for you guys." Giles said.

"Lets get going then." Angel said.

Wesley stepped out in the open and started reciting the spell that would open the portal to the judges. As he finished the spell he stood back but nothing happened. He tried it again but once again nothing happened.

"They seemed to have done something to prevent us from opening the portal." Wesley looked at Giles. "How did you and Willow find out how to open the portal Giles?" "Willow is the one that was able to track them when they sent you back. We need her to get back here as soon as possible. I believe her and Tara went to the theater." "Can you call her on her cell phone?" "Yes I have her number, I'll call her right away."

Wesley turned to Angel. "We won't be able to go after Mary right now Angel but we will be able to get you back in once they send her back. Giles said that Willow is the one that back tracked you to the Judges dimension. I've asked Giles to call her on her cellphone. Willow has to set things up so that she can trace the signal when they send Mary back."

"Thanks Giles and Wesley I am going to go and get cleaned up now I'll be back in about 20 minutes." Angel went up stairs then to get cleaned up. The rest did the same. When they were done they all headed for the dinning room table and the sandwiches. Cordelia warmed some blood up for Angel and Spike. Angel drank the blood only.

Kathleen was doing a lot of crying even though her Mother had changed and fed her. When Angel asked Cordelia what was wrong with her she told him that Kathleen was reacting to his current mood so he went over to the couch in his office and laid down and started to pray the rosary. He often found that it helped him to calm down and control himself. When he was done he came out and picked his daughter up. She had stopped crying five minutes after he had gone into his office. "Your going to make it awfully hard for me to be angry for very long Kathleen. If I don't get my anger under control your crying will be a constant reminder to me to straighten up and fly right."

Angel started for the stairs with Kathleen in his arms and Cordelia following him. He knew that he couldn't do anything to help so he thought he would get some rest.

"Your grandma will be okay Kathleen. All of you Martin women are pretty tough cookies."

Angel told his daughter as he held her.

Six hours later Angel woke up to the sound of a loud noise in the Hotel. He quickly pulled his pants on and ran downstairs. He could see that it was Dr. Martin. She had been returned in the same state of undress as Wesley and he had been returned. Giles shouted at him not to approach her. "Don't touch her yet Angel Willow isn't done back tracking her return yet."

Angel heard Spike and Buffy coming down the stairs. Spike ran into the clinic and grabbed a sheet to cover Dr. Martin with. When he came back Angel stopped him from going to her. He explained that Willow was still backtracking her return.

"Okay Angel I've got it." Willow finally said.

Spike threw the sheet over Dr. Martin. He started to check her pulse and her eyes. Spike looked up at Angel. "We have to take her to the hospital Angel. She's lost a lot of blood and she is in shock right now."

"Let me go and get dressed and I'll bring Cordy's van around to the front." Angel said as he ran up the stairs 3 at a time. "Bring a blanket when you come back Angel." Spike said.

Angel quickly put the rest of his clothes on and grabbed his keys and a blanket. Then he ran down to Wesley's room and knocked on the door. Wesley answered the door. "Wesley they've returned Mom and Spike said that we need to take her to the hospital. I need for you to follow us with all of the information on her that the hospital will need. Buffy is going to stay here with Cordelia so Connor can come if he wants to." "Okay Angel I'll follow you in a few minutes." Wesley said as he put his glasses on.

"Fred they've returned Dr. Martin. Spike and Angel are taking her to the hospital. Buffy is going to stay here with Cordelia for now. Connor will most likely come with me." Wesley put some clothes on then gave Fred a kiss good bye. "I'll call you later and let you know how she is as soon as I find out. Call Dr. Thompson and Hunter for me and let them know what is going on. Let Morgan and Fr. Barris know also." He gave her another kiss then left.

As soon as Wesley left Fred put something on then went downstairs to Wesley's office and started calling everyone. When she was done she went up to Cordelia to see how she was. She knocked on her door. "Come in." Cordelia answered. Fred opened the door and went in.

"How are you two doing?" Fred asked. "Mother and child are doing okay so far. I just fed her and I was going to see if I could get more milk out of my breasts. I want to go to the hospital also but I can't unless I can leave some milk here. Angel has been helping me to drain my breast each morning in order to encourage my body to produce more milk then what Kathleen needs at one time." Cordelia had cleaned the breast pump and the container where the milk would be stored. She went to the kitchen table with the pump and containers and started to try pumping her breasts for milk. It took her a few attempts but she finally got it right and milk started coming out and going into the containers. She was able to get about 3 ounces more out of each breast so she put 3 ounces each into 2 bottles and put them into the refrigerator.

"I am going to go to the hospital Buffy would you go with me?" "Sure Cordelia, Willow put a protection spell on the Hotel as soon as we leave." "Okay, don't forget to tell everyone that they have to call me to let me know they're coming back. We will take really good care of our little princes here." Willow said.

Cordelia and Buffy went out of the door and went running downstairs to the back and Angels' car. As soon as Willow heard them leave the hotel she put the protection spell up.

Cordelia made it to the hospital within 15 minutes. She quickly parked and they both ran into the reception area and checked on the location of Dr. Martin. They said she was in surgery right now and were told where the waiting room was. Cordelia and Buffy took the elevator to the 3rd floor and went to the nurse's desk to ask where the waiting room was. The aid at the desk pointed to the waiting room and they went over to the room to find everyone. The place was a little crowded with everyone there.

Cordelia and Buffy went to their husbands to ask how Dr. Martin was. "How is she Angel?" "Dr. Thompson is in surgery with her. Before they took her into surgery Dr. Thompson came over and told us they tore her up badly. They did a rape examination and took samples but he said we wouldn't have to worry about anyone identifying the semen because she had so many men have their turn at her that it would be next too impossible to identify any one person. He said that she regained consciousness for a few minutes and he told her what they were going to do. She just nodded okay. He said he would let us know how she was as soon as he could."

Spike had been telling Buffy the same thing. When he was done she told him that she would be going back to the hotel. "Willow wanted me to tell everyone that they will have to call her when they want to get back into the hotel because she has a protection spell on it. I am going to go back now. Cordelia can I have the keys to Angels car?" Cordelia gave her the keys and thanked her for coming with her.

Before Buffy left she went to Giles. "How are you doing?" "Okay considering the circumstances." "Somewhere deep inside me a voice is telling me that she will be okay." Buffy said then she gave Giles a kiss and left. Angel had sat back down and Cordelia sat next to him. After awhile she fell asleep while leaning on his shoulder.

About 30 minutes later David and Marissa Morgan came in along with Bobby. Angel greeted them and explained what had happened. They all sat down again and waited. Angel took his Rosary out and was praying. David and Bobby were shocked when he did this. David came over to him when he was done and had put it back into his pocket.

"Angel may I ask how you are able to do that without getting burned?" Bobby had followed David over to Angel. He explained to them what Dr. Martin had taught him. He told them how Dr. Martin had gone about proving to him that Angelus was the one that was afraid of everything that belonged to God. He also explained how he had chosen to go to confession and part of his penance was that he was to pray the Rosary every day for as long as he existed in this world.

By the time that Angel had finished Dr. Thompson came over to the group. He looked pretty tired. Angel stood up as Thompson approached him.

"Everything went very well Angel. We had to take out both of her ovaries and uterus. Since she was way beyond her child bearing years it won't have much of an impact on her. Angel they did some really nasty things to her. When we took out her uterus we found evidence that they had put a wire up inside of her and electrocuted her. The damage that the electricity did was part of the reason that we had to take everything out. They also used her body like a punching bag. Fortunately Mary was physically fit so her muscles took most of the punches okay. But they did manage to damage one kidney. We are hoping that it will repair itself as she gets the rest that she will need. Her spleen also ruptured and we had to take it out. People survive without a spleen just fine. She had 3 broken ribs and one of them had splintered and punctured a lung. The lung had collapsed but we were able to repair that without any problem. Her face was badly beaten and her eyes are swollen. We won't know if she can see alright until the swelling goes down. Right now she has to get over the problem of blood getting into her lung. We are doing all that we can to prevent it from developing into pneumonia." A nurse came up to Dr. Thompson while he was telling them about her condition.

"Dr. Thompson, Dr. Martin is awake and is calling for her son." "Okay thank you. Come on Angel I'll take you over to her."

Dr. Thompson quickly took Angel over to the recovery room. He helped him into a gown and mask then took him over to Dr. Martin's bed.

Angel almost couldn't control himself when he saw all of the tubes going into his mother. He bent down over the bed and called to her. "Mom, it's me Angel." Dr. Martin turned to him. He could barely tell that she opened her eyes. "Could I have some ice, I'm so thirsty?" Angel looked around and saw a cup of ice with a plastic spoon on the stand next to her bed. He spooned a small amount of it into her mouth. She played with it a little and let it melt slowly. When it was gone she looked at Angel.

"Angel?" "Yes Mom I'm right here." "Angel I know you are going to go after those demons, but promise me that you will discuss it with the others as to the best way to go about it. I don't want anyone to be hurt over what happened to me. Promise that you will listen to everyone's advice and not do just what you want to do. Promise me Angel." "I promise." "Do me a favor now and give me your Rosary. You can use mine that is beside my bed on the night stand until you come back tomorrow." Angel reached into his pocket and put the beads in her left hand. She grabbed onto it then went back to sleep.

"Lets go Angel, she needs to rest now and the nurses need to be able to get to her when they check on her." Dr. Thompson pulled on his arm and led him to the doors and helped him to take off the gown and dispose of it.

"When do you think she will be able to come home?" Angel asked as he played with the mask.

"Not for at least two days. If she isn't having any problems with her lungs then we should be able to take her home."

"I want to thank you for all that you have done Mike. Tomorrow we will be taking care of the demons that did this to her. I would appreciate it if you would send Hunter over to help us. I need someone to stay with Cordelia and Kathleen while I am gone." "I'll let her know Angel." "Thank you." Angel said then he went back to the waiting room.

As he approached the waiting room everyone stood up. "She is resting now. I think we had all better go back home now. David tomorrow we will be discussing the best way to go about getting rid of the demons that did this to her. If you and Bobby want to join us your welcome. He looked at everyone then said "I will be discussing the best way to go about taking care of these demons with my family." He smiled when he said it and everyone smiled back. They knew how big of a change this was for Angel.

They all started walking out of the hospital then since tomorrow was going to be a big day and they needed to be well rested and alert. They were going to be going against formidable odds.

The next day Angel was up at 8 o'clock. He was down in the basement working out and pushing himself to the limit. By 10 o'clock he could hear everyone coming downstairs and starting breakfast. He went up through the back stairs to the 2nd floor and to his own room. By the time he had showered and dressed he heard Mike and Hunter come in followed by David, Marissa, his wife and some of his men. He headed downstairs to join everyone.

When he reached the top of the stairs he looked down at the Lobby and found it to be crowded. Everyone was being offered drinks of coffee or tea by Cordelia and Fred. Angel came down the stairs and greeted everyone. He saw that Richards had come with David. Angel found himself staring at him. He saw Wesley coming towards him with a mug of blood for him.

"Cordelia asked me to give this to you Angel." "Thanks, Wesley look at Richards, does anything about him seem familiar to you?" Wesley took a good look at Richards. Richards was talking to Spike about what exactly had happened at the Judges dimension. He watched the way he stood, the way he drank his coffee, his mannerisms as he talked and he could also hear a slight accent. All of a sudden Wesley's eyes grew wide. He choked on his tea that he had just taken a sip of. It took him a moment to get his coughing under control.

"I'll be back in a second Angel, I have to ask David something." Wesley went over to David Morgan and asked him "David can you tell me Richards last name?" "Sorry I can't because he never gave a last name. He said that all he goes by is Richards and that he was born and raised in New York City. That's all I know. I could call the Supervisor of the guards if you want I am sure that he has more information." "No that's okay, by any chance would you know his age?" "I believe the guys just gave him a birthday party. Marissa made the cake for them and I think she put 'HAPPY 35TH BIRTHDAY'." "Thank you very much David."

Wesley went over to Spike who was with Buffy now. "Spike I noticed you were talking to Richards a moment ago." "Yeah." "Does anything about him seem familiar to you?" "Now that you mention it he sure reminds me of Angel." "Thanks I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't the only one."

Wesley walked over to Richards and asked him to follow him. He then called Angel and Giles over to Angels office. They all filed into the office and Wesley took Angels seat behind his desk while Richards sat on the couch and Angel and Giles sat in the two chairs that were in front of his desk.

"Richards I have been asking some questions about you on Angels behalf. It seems that he thinks he knows you from some place, but he can't remember from where. I think that I know from where or in your case from whom. Angel where were you in 1970 or 1969?" Wesley got mixed reactions from Angel and Giles, but Richards didn't give any reaction at all except to look at Angel.

"I believe I was in New York City up until the summer of 1970. I had been staying with a woman that I had met at the restaurant that I had been working at. She was a waitress on my shift. I think her name was Martha O'Connell. I had to tell her about myself because of my main food being blood."

"What was your mothers maiden name Richards?" Richards looked at Wesley and then at Angel. They all saw that he had tears threatening to spill over.

"My mothers maiden name was O'Connell, Martha O'Connell. Angel according to my mother you are my father."

Everyone was quiet for a few moments. Wesley, Giles and Richards where watching for a reaction from Angel.

"I knew that there was something familiar about you but I couldn't put my finger on it. Now I know, you are like an older version of Connor." Angel said. "And Connor is a carbon copy of you Angel." Wesley said.

Angel continued to stair are Richards for awhile. Then he got up and went to Richards and hugged him. When they separated both Angel and Richards were sniffling.

"When we get back we'll take some time to talk. I will have to introduce you to everyone and especially your brother Connor. There is something that I need to know right now before we go. Connor inherited many of his mothers and my Vampire abilities. Did you inherit any special abilities from me?"

"I am stronger then most men and I am slightly faster. Since I took after my mothers family in my physical physique I tend to have normal speed in my movements. I am unable to use the oriental arts in fighting because of the way I am built but I can obtain the same results by using brute strength. There is one more thing Angel that I have recently learned that I can do that I didn't know about until I saw the special film of you and your wife. I don't do it in the same way that you do but I get the same response from the women."

"Uh lets keep that part out of your description okay. We'll talk to Dr. Martin about that when we get back." Angel started to walk out of the office when Wesley called him.

"Angel, we also have a slight problem in that Richards looks older than you. I advise you to keep that in mind when you introduce him."

They all stopped and thought about that problem. Giles came up with the only possible solution to the problem.

"Angel I believe it would be best if you didn't tell anyone outside of the family that Richards is your son. There would be to many questions and to much to explain. It's no reflection on you Richards it's just that we have to protect Angels true nature." "I agree with Giles Angel. It would cause too many problems to let anyone outside of the family know who Richards is. I do suggest though that we make a connection with Dr. Martins fathers side of the family. Perhaps a cousin of some sort. We have to come up with some story though that would explain why you, Richards and Connor all have the same mannerisms. If I can make the connection then someone else will also."

Angel was quiet while Giles and Wesley were stating their reasoning for not declaring who Richards was.

"What would you like me to do Richard?" Angel asked.

"Everything they said is true Angel. I think it would be safer for all of you and me if our true relationship was kept within the family. All I ever wanted was a family after my mother died Angel and now you have welcomed me into yours. Those people that count will know who I am. Ever since my mother told me who my father was I've researched and watched you. I believe that you are a man of honor and I would be proud to be known of as your son but we must look at this logically. I believe that we must go with Giles and Wesley's suggestion. I have a job and life with Mr. Morgan's group now and I want to remain with him, but if you don't mind I'll come over for visits whenever I can. If you should need any help, I will gladly come and help you if at all possible."

"I agree with you. And I'll do as you think is best, but understand that if you should ever want me to announce myself as your father I will, with pride, announce it." Angel gave Richards a hug then they all left the office and joined the others.

"Take a seat everyone. We need to let you know what the set up is in the Judges' dimension. Then we need to discuss how we are going to take care of them. I have to tell you though that my intention is to take care of them once and for all. That means that they will all die today. The judges have made it known that they don't follow anyone else's rules but their own." Angel and Wesley then let them know how it all began and how Dr. Martin went with them to lay down some rules that had been given to her by St. Michael. Basically the rules were that they were to leave us alone. Their jurisdiction included Demon activities only which excluded Vampires of course since they were not truly 100 Demon.

For the next 30 minutes they all discussed the best way to go about taking care of the Judges and their guards. When they were ready Willow started the spell that would open the portal to the Judges' dimension. The return spell had been given to everyone in case anyone was separated.

The plan went smoothly and there were no injuries on their side. All of the Judges that were responsible for the attacks on Angel, Wesley, and then Dr. Martin had been killed along with most of the guards.

After only 1 hour they all returned to their own dimension. It was 6 in the evening as they returned and dark enough for Angel to go and see Dr. Martin. After thanking everyone for their help he told Wesley that he was going to the hospital to see Dr. Martin. Spike and Cordelia said that they would go with him.

"We'll leave in 30 minutes Spike." Angel said. "Okay, I'll be ready." Spike answered and they both went running up the stairs to clean up after the fight. Cordelia went up stairs also and fed Kathleen and then checked to see if she had any bottles of her milk left in the refrigerator. When she was sure there was enough she took Kathleen downstairs and placed her in the bassinet.

"Okay girls I am handing control of our precious little princes over to you all. Guard her with your lives. I placed a couple of bottles of my milk in the refrigerator down here and there are 2 more up stairs. I should be back before she needs to be fed again though."

When she was done Angel and Spike were coming down the stairs. "Lets go my dear." Angel said as he headed towards the back door. Cordelia grabbed her purse and joined Angel and Spike.

Rush hour was still going strong so it took them over an hour to get to the hospital. Angel dropped Cordelia and Spike off at the entrance to the hospital then went to park the van. They made their way up to Dr. Martins room in the ICU. To their surprise it had someone else in it. They went over to the nurses station to find out what happened to her. Spike told Angel to let him handle things. He went over to the nurses station and waited for someone to come over to him.

When the receptionist finally came back to the desk Spike introduced himself. "Hi I'm Dr. William Summers can you tell me what has happened to Dr. Mary Martin, she was in here last night and we came to see her." "Oh, yes Dr. Summers Dr. Thompson said that you might be by today. He asked me to page him when you came by. He's in the hospital so I'll just page him for you. They heard over the loudspeaker "Dr. Mike Thompson please come to the ICU, Dr. Mike Thompson please come to the ICU."

Spike went back to Angel and Cordelia. "They've paged Mike to let him know that we are here. The nurse can't give me any information."

They went to the waiting room and sat down while they waited for Mike. Thirty minutes later Mike came to the waiting room. Angel, Spike and Cordelia stood up as he approached. Mike shook hands with Angel and Spike and gave Cordelia a kiss on her cheek.

No one else was in the waiting room at the time so Mike felt that it was okay to say what he had to say. "Angel Mary has had a set back in her recovery. Because of the nature of the rapists I believe that it would be best that we take her home as soon as possible."

"What has happened to her that we need to take her out of here so fast?" Angel asked.

"Mary started to scream this morning when a male nurse went into her room to wake her up and check her vitals. She started screaming about the Judges and the guards. The nurse knew about Mary being raped so he got a female nurse to go in and take care of her. When the woman came in Mary started to calm down. I was suspicious about such a quick turn around in her attitude towards men and the hysterics that she was going through. The way she acted just isn't Mary. When I came in I ordered a complete blood test for any foreign substance. They found traces of a hallucinogen in her blood stream. Now this particular hallucinogen stays in the fat cells of your body. Without warning it can leak into the blood supply and cause another psychotic episode. It also can stay in the bodies fat cells for several years. With the majority of people though this usually only lasts for a few months."

"Is she ready to come home?" Spike asked.

"Not really but under the circumstances she will have to. I've already talked to Hunter and asked her to stay at the Hyperion and take care of her, that is if Mary excepts her. Now I think it would be best that she not see either of you for awhile. It wouldn't be wise for her to be screaming about Demons and Vampires at the hospital and I want to get her settled in. Buffy should be here shortly then Cordelia and Buffy can drive her home. Buffy of course well drive your car here and then you can drive it home. I have a baby to deliver within the next hour so I can't come with you yet. I'll come to the Hyperion as soon as I can afterwards."

Angel and Spike were quiet. The very thing that they both carried with them at all times was what Dr. Martin was most afraid of. Dr. Thompson saw the looks on their faces.

"Angel she'll be okay. You know how good Hunter is. You were very lucky with Cordelia, she excepted you right away. What is happening to Mary is what normally happens to women that are raped. Mary knows all of the pits of hell that women experience when they are raped so she knows and understands what she is dealing with. I think the drug is what pushed her towards what she is experiencing right now. Giles and Mary are having a physical relationship aren't they?"

"Yes." Angel answered.

"Okay then, I think that Hunter will agree with me that we need to see if she will except Giles first." Dr. Thompson's pager went off, he took it out of its holder and took a look at it.

"Well it looks like that baby is in a rush to be born. I have to go now, I'll see you all at the Hotel when I'm through. Angel we need you to go to the 3rd floor nurses station and fill out some papers since Mary is going to go home earlier then she normally would." Dr. Thompson went running out of the waiting room and down to delivery where Mrs. Walker waited for her doctor to help deliver her 6th baby.

The trio quietly made their way down to the 3rd floor nurses station. Angel was holding onto Cordelia's hand all of the way. He was remembering her rape. When it came time to fill out the paper work they all noticed how Angels hand was shaking.

"Let me fill it out Angel then you can sign it." Angel just moved out of the way and let Spike take care of it. He put his hand in his pocket and tried to get his feelings under control. Just as they got through with the paper work Buffy came down the corridor. She went to Spike and hugged him. "She'll be okay Angel and Spike. All we have to do is get her home where we can take care of her, Hunter is already there and preparing her room. Here are the keys to your car Angel. It's parked in the first section of the parking lot just as you walk out of the front. You better go now so that we can bring her out."

Buffy started for Dr. Martin's room. Cordelia hugged Angel then turned and followed Buffy. Angel and Spike left and took the elevator to the first floor lobby. They went to his car and sat and waited. They saw Cordelia come out first and go to get the Van. Buffy and a couple of nurses came out with her as she pushed Dr. Martin's wheelchair. Cordelia brought the van over and opened the passenger side sliding door. Buffy and one of the nurses picked Dr. Martin up and placed her in the seat. It was a difficult task since the nurse had to back up into the van.

Dr. Martin had been sedated so she didn't know what was going on. Buffy closed the sliding door and got into the other side. Cordelia started then for the Hotel. When she checked her rear view mirror she saw Angel pulling out behind her. Just knowing that he was there made her relax. She felt better knowing that he was close by. It took them well over an hour to get home because Cordelia was taking it slowly. When she finally pulled up to the front Hunter, Willow, and Fred came out with Angel's wheel chair. Buffy picked Dr. Martin up and handed her over to Hunter who then placed her in the wheel chair. The men stayed out of sight as the women wheeled the chair in and lifted it to go down the stairs. After they had Dr. Martin in her own bedroom and in her bed the men came out and waited for Hunter to come out and talk to them. Angel and Cordelia had parked the car and van in the back and came in together.

They all sat around the dinning room table as usual. Cordelia had warmed up a large glass of blood for Angel and a sandwich and a glass of milk for herself. Before sitting down she went over to check on Kathleen. Willow said that she had just changed her before they came in. At first Cordelia was going to feed Kathleen but then she thought that this would be a good time for Angel to bound with his daughter and it would help him to calm down. She put Kathleen back into the bassinet and went to the kitchen and took one of the bottles that had her milk in it, out of the refrigerator and warmed it up. When it was just right she went back and picked Kathleen up.

"Would you feed your daughter for me Angel so I can eat my sandwich?" Without waiting for Angel to say yes or no she placed their daughter in his arms and gave him the bottle. Everyone was watching him feed his daughter. Slowly, Angel came out of his depression, his arm stopped shaking and he grew a smile as he held the bottle for his daughter.

"Wesley come over here and listen to her. She purrs just like Cordelia does when she is contented." Wesley came over and listened carefully. "I called father Barris today and told him that we would have to postpone the baptism until Dr. Martin gets better." Wesley said as he let Kathleen hold onto his finger. He pulled his finger away then and went back to his seat.

Hunter came downstairs then and grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down with everyone.

"Dr. Martin is resting comfortably everyone. She is in a deep sleep right now and I don't think she will wake up until sometime tomorrow morning. I talked to Mike for awhile on the phone this morning and he explained what had happened. We believe that sometime early in the morning one of the Judges guards came and gave her a shot of an hallucinogenic drug. When Dr. Martin woke up she thought she was being attacked again and started shouting about the demon guards and Judges. Because this happened when a male nurse went in to wake her and take her vitals we thought it would be best not to have men around her for awhile. Tomorrow I will assess her mental state and start talking about Giles. If she responds well then I'll call you in to come and visit with her for awhile Giles. Angel and Spike I won't be calling you in to see her until I am positive that she is looking forward to seeing you."

"Okay Hunter whatever you think is best." Angel said. They all looked at him. They were all thinking that you could drop an atomic bomb by him and he wouldn't notice it. He was so totally wrapped up in his daughter.

Cordelia saw that the bottle was empty so she took it from Angel. "Put her on your shoulder Angel and get her to burp." Angel did as Cordelia said and soon got a satisfying burp from his daughter. "Let's go Daddy and put the princes to bed. We've had a big day." Angel got up and started walking towards the stairs. "Good night everyone." Angel said as he passed them. They all responded with a good night also then they went up to bed. Hunter told Wesley that she would be sleeping in with Dr. Martin tonight. She then said good night and went upstairs.

The next morning Hunter woke up before Dr. Martin did. She didn't want to leave her alone so she got up and made some coffee and a glass of warm blood. She didn't want Dr. Martin to see her drink the blood so she drank it quickly then made some coffee. While the coffee was brewing she turned the television on to the Home Shopping Channel. They were selling fancy dolls so Hunter was pretty sure that it would be safe.

Hunter heard Dr. Martin moving. She seemed to be having a bad dream so she turned the television a little louder. Within the next minute Dr. Martin settled down and started talking in her sleep. Hunter came over to see what she was saying and she heard her say 'You should see the beautiful doll that Mrs. Nickels son brought her today Sister Theresa.'

Dr. Martin slept for another 5 minutes then started to wake up. "Is that coffee that I smell? Has some sweet person made some coffee for me with 1 teaspoon of sugar and cream?"

Hunter went over and made a cup of coffee for Dr. Martin and brought it over to the bed stand.

"Your nice sweet person has brought you a cup of coffee just as you like it. If you open your eyes you will see it." Dr. Martin opened her eyes and she saw it on the bed stand next to her. She pulled herself up so that she could lean against the headboard. Hunter put an extra pillow behind her and then gave her the coffee. Dr. Martin took a sip and let her tongue bath itself in the taste.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Hunter asked as she brought her own cup of coffee over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"I am feeling pretty good, in comparison to yesterday morning anyway." "Do you remember what happened yesterday?" "Yes, but it's like I was observing what went on from a corner of the room or something. Has Mike investigated why that happened to me?" "Yes, he had your blood tested for any foreign substance and he found that someone put in some type of hallucinogenic drug into you. He is going to try to get a hold of the video tape of who went in and out of your room since you were put in there. We are pretty sure that it was one of the guards that worked for the Judges. Do you by any chance remember anyone coming into your room and giving you a shot?"

"No I think I was still sleeping from the surgery."

"Do you remember what you were saying when you were hallucinating?" "Yes, I remember saying something about the Judges and demons. I remember that it all started when the male nurse touched me to take my vitals. I hope I didn't scare him, I must have sounded like a crazy woman."

"How do you feel about the rape Mary? Would you like to talk about it?" "Yes I do but I think I need to go through it again. I think that I am blocking most of it. I've been trying to remember exactly what happened and I can't remember all of it and I need to or it will make things difficult in the future. Do you know how to hypnotize someone?" "Yes but I've never actually done it by myself. In a class I took our Professor made us practice hypnotizing each other and he was always there to guide us in what we said, but I've never done it since then."

"I think then that Giles can do it. He told me that he has done it several times with Buffy. I believe though that Mike had better be there to monitor my physical condition and you can ask the questions. I don't want anyone else in there with us Hunter, especially Angel or Spike. It would be to hard on them to hear what happened to me."

"Okay Mary you're the expert. Let me check your vitals then I'll give you something to eat. Do you have a problem with Giles helping you to walk a little or perhaps he can help you take a shower or I can give you a sponge bath and Giles can help you walk around a little?"

"I think it would be good for everyone if Giles helped me take a shower." "Why would it be good for everyone?" "Because he'll go back downstairs and report to everyone that I am doing a lot better and I'm not having a problem anymore as far as seeing the men." Hunter just smiled at her. She started to check her vitals and listen to her lungs. Mary needed to relieve herself so Hunter helped her to the bathroom and left her alone for awhile. When she was done and Hunter had helped her to clean herself she helped her back to the bed. That little activity had tired Dr. Martin out. Hunter prepared a light breakfast for her and sat with her while she ate.

"Do you think your up to seeing a visitor?" "No not yet. Let me rest for awhile and take a nap then I want to see Giles okay?" "Okay that sounds good. I am going to go and sit on the couch. Call me if you want to get out of bed. Are we CRYSTAL CLEAR on that Dr. Mary Terese Martin?"

"Yes Dr. Hunter, crystal clear."

Hunter helped her to lay down and raised the blankets up and under her arms then she went to the couch and watched television for awhile but since she hadn't been able to sleep last night she quickly fell asleep herself.

Two hours later she woke up to the sound of Dr. Martins voice calling her. Hunter wiped the sleep from her eyes and went to check on her patient. "Did you need something?" "Yes I am ready to see Giles now. Could you help me to the bathroom again and then call him to come up to my room?" "I don't think that will be a problem."

Twenty minutes later, after she had made herself more presentable, Dr. Martin gave Hunter the okay to call Giles. A few minutes later they heard a light knock at the door. "Come in Giles." Dr. Martin said.

Giles opened the door carefully and looked towards the bed. When he laid his eyes on Dr. Martin his face broke into a big grin. Hunter came over to him while he was still at the door.

"Giles, I am going to leave her in your care this afternoon. She tires easily so let her sleep when she wants to. I want you to help her take a shower when I leave. I've left out a clean nightgown for her. When you get her back into bed give me a call and I'll put some clean bandages on her. Make sure that you're very careful when cleaning the area okay?" "Okay I promise to be careful." Giles was still looking at Mary while listening to Hunter. As soon as she left Giles went to Mary and hugged her gently. After holding her for awhile and kissing her he wiped his tears away and helped her to the bathroom where he helped her to take a shower. When they were done Giles called Hunter up to the room. When Hunter was done Mary was ready for another nap. Giles removed his robe that he had been wearing since they got out of the bath and slipped in under the sheets and held her in his arms protectively. Mary was starting to feel more normal now with Giles beside her so she slept peacefully.

Later that evening Mary woke up again. Giles had been awake for awhile already and was reading a book that he had left up here. "I think it's time for me to take a walk. Lets go up to the 4th floor where we won't hopefully run into anyone. You can help me walk up and down the hallway okay?" "Your very wish is my command my lady." Giles said as he got up and put his clothes on. He helped Mary to put on a robe and get into the wheelchair. He stuck his head out of the door to see if anyone was in the hallway. It was empty so he wheeled Mary out the door and to the elevator.

When they arrived at the 4th floor Mary asked Giles to help her get up and walk down the hallway to 412. By the time they made it to room 412 Mary was perspiring. They went into the room where she could sit for awhile. Giles opened the drapes so they could watch the big jets coming in for a landing. For once the skies were clear. There was a light breeze that made the drapes dance to their song. They sat for awhile until Mary felt she could make it down the hallway and her wheelchair and elevator. Thirty minutes later they were back in her room and Mary was asleep again.

When Mary went to sleep Giles called downstairs for Hunter. "Hunter is Dr. Thompson here yet?" "No Giles and he doesn't think that he'll be able to make it, he has a couple of babies due sometime tonight. The mothers are in the last stages of labor so he will be busy." "Can you come up here for a few minutes while I take care of a few things?" "Yes, I'll be there in a few minutes." Hunter grabbed a cup of coffee and headed upstairs.

Giles left the door open so Hunter wouldn't have to knock. When she came to the door Giles came over and asked her to go out to the hallway.

"Hunter Mary seems to be having a problem. She hasn't said anything to me about the rape and she hasn't cried at all in front of me. I am very worried about her mental state."

"We talked about the rape this morning. She gave me specific instructions as to what her treatment would be. Tomorrow she wants to see Angel then Spike but one at a time. She knows that Angel must be anxious to see her but she said she needed another day to recover. The day after that if Mike is able to come over she wants you to hypnotize her." Giles started to say something but Hunter held her hands up and stopped him. "Wait a minute now let me finish. I have never hypnotized anyone except in a class room with my professor right by me. So she said that you had told her that you've done it several times at least. Now Mary doesn't know this but Angel can do it also. So if you can't then we can have him do it. While she is hypnotized I will take her through what happened and more or less force her to face what happened to her so that she can deal with it better." "Shouldn't she be seeing a regular psychiatrist?"

"Giles she is a psychiatrist and she realizes that we can't afford to have her talking about such things to a regular psychiatrist. She'll be okay Giles. We've talked about it and believe it or not she is telling me what has to be done and the problems she is experiencing. All you have to do right now Giles is be there for her. Now if you don't have anymore questions why don't you go and do whatever you have to do and I'll stay with her. Did she walk today?" "Yes she asked me to take her to the 4th floor where we wouldn't run into anyone. She tires very easily. I should be back shortly. Have you all eaten? I'm starving and I'm sure Mary will be hungry also." "Yes we ate already. There are a lot of leftovers in the refrigerator though. I am sure that Fred will be happy to help you."

Giles went downstairs and talked to Fred about putting together a tray of food for Mary and himself. He went back to his room then and put together some clothes to change into tomorrow morning along with his shaving kit and took them to Mary's room. He then went downstairs to see if Fred was done fixing a tray of food for him.

"All done Fred?" "Yes we had chili beans and rice today. The chili isn't very hot though so you won't have to worry about Dr. Martin getting sick from it." Fred gave him the tray and he thanked her then took it upstairs.

When he entered the room he saw that Mary was awake. "Good, you're awake. Are you hungry?" Giles asked as he put the tray on the kitchen table.

"Yes I am famished, it smells good what is it?" "It's chili beans and rice although Fred said it isn't very hot. She gave us a bowl of chopped onions to go along with it. And also this very important bottle." He held up a small bottle of 'Beano' pills for gas. They all laughed.

"I was so happy when they came out with those. I love kidney beans but I rarely ate them because of the gas they cause." Mary said. She started to get out of the bed and put her bathrobe on. Hunter stood next to her in case she needed assistance.

Hunter said goodnight as Giles and Mary sat down to eat after taking their 'Beano' pills. Giles gave Mary her usual glass of Cherry flavored coke. He took out a can of Root Beer for himself. They ate in silence for a while. Giles noticed that Mary had stopped eating. She appeared to be just staring at her bowl of food.

"What's wrong Mary?" Giles asked her. She didn't answer right away though, she just stared into the bowl of food.

"Mary, what's wrong?" "Giles...one of the guards was sitting at a table eating chili and rice while others were forcing themselves on me. He just sat there calmly eating the food like nothing unusual was happening. When it was his turn the one that was on me said 'Hey Charlie it's your turn next.' Mary got up and ran to the bathroom and vomited all of what little she ate. When she was done she laid on the bathroom floor and cried, and cried. Giles came in after awhile and picked her up off of the floor and took her to the bed. He laid beside her and held her as she let it all finally come out. Mary cried for the next hour then finally fell asleep.

The next day when Giles opened his eyes he looked at Mary. She had her eyes open and she was just staring into space. "Mary are you okay?" "Yes, I'm better now. Would you help me take a shower then I want to go downstairs for breakfast." "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. They all are worried about you. Especially Angel. They have a new case they're working on so he has something to keep him busy but don't postpone letting him spend some time with you okay."

Mary sat up and pulled herself up into a sitting position. She lifted her nightgown up and checked the stitches from her surgery. She carefully removed the bandage then removed her nightgown entirely. Giles helped her up then they went to the bathroom. He left her alone for a while so she could relieve herself. When she was done Giles did the same then they took a shower.

"Giles would you wash my hair for me today?" "Yes I would love to wash it for you. You have such beautiful hair. Let me wash you first then I'll wash your hair and put some conditioner in it." "That sounds like a good plan. Why don't you wash yourself first and I'll wash myself from the waist up then you can do the rest for me, okay?" "Yes Madam."

It took Giles awhile to wash her hair since it was so long. He finally decided to divide it up in sections and wash a section at a time, starting with the top. Mary just leaned against the wall of the shower and let Giles clean her hair. It felt so good to have her hair clean again. She felt as though he was washing away all of the filth that the guards had left on her.

She didn't care about the removal of her uterus and ovaries, she didn't need them anymore and they were more or less extra baggage. She couldn't remember how many of them had their turn at her because they had beat her badly enough that she lost consciousness.

What Mary hated more then anything that happened to her was what they did to her mind. They made her afraid of her son and Spike. They took away the complete trust that she had in them. They took all of that away and replaced it with fear. She knew that she had a logical mind. She used it every day to guide others, she used it to make medical decisions, but she was unable to call on that logical mind of hers to guide her in dealing with this illogical fear that she felt. Her mind was tired from constantly trying to deal with this. She slept a lot because of it. She knew that she wasn't afraid of Angel and Spike but of the demons that coexisted with them in their bodies.

"Mary I'm done we can get out now." Giles words brought her out of her deep thoughts. She was already starting to feel sleepy, but she shook her head and brush the thoughts away for now. She stepped out of the shower and let Giles help her to dry off. She turned around and looked at herself in the large mirror. Most of the bruises were starting to fade but her eyes still showed the deep black and blue coloring. All of her teeth had survived the beatings. Hunter would be able to take the stitches, from her surgery, out in a few days. Each day she was able to move more easily. Her muscles were not as stiff as they were the day before. The short walks she took with Giles were helping a lot. When she was able to she would have to start a regular schedule of exercises.

Giles noticed how Mary was examining her body. He put his arms around her from the back.

"Mary you are still just as beautiful as ever. In fact if you were able to engage in some exercise I would jump your bones right now. Lets get you dressed before I lose complete control of myself."

"I need a little longer Giles then we will be able to catch up on lost time." She turned around and gave him a light kiss then walked into the bedroom. She went to her dresser and pulled out under clothes that were light and made of cotton. She put on a loose fitting blouse and then a skirt that was long enough to touch the floor. She didn't want to put any nylons on so she gave Giles a pair of knee high black socks to put on her. He then gave her some light slippers to put on.

Giles helped her up and she waited while he got dressed.

"Giles would you call Angel up here and ask Hunter to come up also. Tell her to come in here first and tell Angel to wait in the hallway. I'll call him in after I've spoken to Hunter."

"You're afraid of him now aren't you?" The tears started to fill her eyes. She almost lost control when he asked her the question. "Yes, that is why I want Hunter here." "Do you want me to stay when he comes in?" "No, as he walks in I want you to leave." "Okay, you're the Doctor."

Giles called downstairs and talked to Hunter. She said they would be there in a few minutes.

Within a few minutes Hunter knocked at the door. "Come in Hunter." Mary called out to her.

Hunter came in and Mary talked to her for a few minutes. She then sat down at the kitchen table and called out to Angel.

"Angel would you come in please?" Mary's hand started to shake, she was so nervous.

Angel opened the door and walked in while Giles walked out.

"Mom."...

* * *

TBC... 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Mom..." "Come in Angel and sit down." Dr. Martin said. She was putting all of her mind on controlling her reaction to Angel.

Angel came in and sat down at the table. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Neither one of them trusted their voices. Angels hand and arm was shaking so badly that he put it under his other arm in order to keep it still.

"Mom, can I give you a kiss and hug?" Dr. Martin immediately became more tense. She was fighting with herself to do what was right for Angel. She wanted to take him in her arms so bad but her fear of the demon Angelus was greater. She took a deep calming breath and stretched out her arms to him.

Angel went over to her and got on his knees in front of her. Even on his knees he was still tall enough to look straight in her eyes. He moved forward very slowly and gave her a light kiss on her cheek. As he touched her with his hand's he could feel her start to tremble. The smell of fear filled the room. As he touched her he could smell the fear roll off of her in great waves. Angel continued though, he drew closer to her very slowly. When she felt his arms around her she couldn't stand it anymore and gave out a loud scream, pushed him away and went to the corner of the room and sank to the floor.

As she cried great soul wrenching sobs she kept on saying over and over again 'I'm sorry Angel I'm sorry but I can't do it yet. It's nothing that you have done, it's just me, I'm sorry.'

Hunter went to Dr. Martin and held her in her arms. She looked at Angel with sympathy for him in her eyes. Angel sank back on his legs as he leaned against the table. The tears started to fall. He wasn't crying for himself he was crying for his mother and what had been done to her that would take her away from him.

"I'll be here Momma when you're ready." Angel stood up then and left the room. Giles was standing outside in the hallway and he saw Angel leave the room and run over to the stairs that would take him upstairs. Giles went to the stairs and looked up to see how far up Angel was going. Angel went to the 5th floor; not as a human goes up the stairs but as a Vampire, with one great leap upward he reached the top of the stairs. Giles heard Angel go into one of the rooms and then it was quiet.

Giles went into Mary's room then. "I'll take care of her now Hunter." Giles went to the corner and picked Mary up and took her to the bed. Hunter pulled the covers down and helped Giles to remove her blouse and skirt. "Hunter would you give me something that will make me go into a deep sleep for the next 8 to 12 hours. I'm not sleeping very well, my thoughts are constantly on the rape and I need to have a dream free sleep." Mary asked. "I think that is a good idea, I'll be back in a few minutes." Hunter said as Giles and her finished putting Mary to bed.

Hunter left to get something that would make Dr. Martin sleep all day and into the night. By the time she returned Dr. Martin had calmed down. Giles was lying next to her and holding her in his arms. Hunter gave her the shot and Dr. Martin went to sleep almost immediately.

"I know you haven't had anything to eat Giles. Would you like to go and get something and I'll stay with her?" "Yes I would really appreciate that Hunter I am hungry." Giles waited for a while to make sure that Mary was sleeping peacefully. Hunter brought a chair over to the side of the bed.

"You certainly have changed Hunter since Angel's back was hurt several years ago. You seem to be much happier. You speak more then in ten words or less. I guess what they say about love is true." "Yes I have changed. Mary has helped me a lot also. I hope and pray that I will be allowed to grow old with Mike, I am tired of living Giles. I love Mike and I want to live out the rest of my days with him. I truly have seen everything in my 4,000 years of life Giles and I want to have what Angel has. I want love that will go with me to the grave and beyond. I want Mike and I to be together throughout all eternity. Do you think I am asking for too much?"

"No, I don't think you're asking too much because I am asking for the same thing. I am hoping that my relationship with Mary will be long lasting. We have the problem though of living in two different cities. At least you can just move to Los Angeles to be with Mike. Everyone here still needs Mary to stay here. She is like the matriarch of this group. Her word is the only one that can over rule Angels. Did anyone tell you what happened when Angel, Spike and Connor went out into the Irish countryside and played Tarzan?"

"No, I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone. What is this Tarzan game?" Hunter asked.

"Apparently it's a game that Angel and Connor created. Cordelia said that they both like watching the old Tarzan movies so they created this game of tag that has to be played in a way that only Angel and Connor can play because of the way they are able to move around. While they were in Ireland and Spike, Buffy, Wesley and Fred were there Connor talked Angel and Spike into a game of Tarzan but apparently when it was time for Angel to give up the role of leader because he had been tagged he wouldn't give it up. So the next morning Connor told his Grandmother about what Angel did and Mary called him on the carpet and chewed him out for not playing fair. She told him that because of his position he always had to be careful and to always set a good example for his son and everyone else. Then she smacked Connor on the back of his head and told him to stop being such a tattletale." They both laughed at the thought of Angel being called on the carpet.

Hunter checked Mary's vitals. "I wish I had been there to see that." Mary was in a deep sleep now and no dreams seemed to be bothering her. "Why don't you go and get something to eat Giles."

Giles started to go downstairs, he stopped for a moment and looked up stairs, for a moment he thought that maybe he should go and talk to Angel, he decided against it though and continued down the steps to get his breakfast.

As Giles walked to the kitchen he looked in Wesley's office and saw him at his desk so he went in to talk to him. Wesley looked up when he heard Giles come in.

"Uh Wesley I think that you should know that Angel went in to see Dr. Martin for the first time since she came back. It didn't go well, Dr. Martin pushed him away and started screaming. When Angel left the room he jumped from the second floor balcony to the fifth floor balcony in one leap. I heard him go into one of the rooms then close the door. It was quiet after that."

Wesley just leaned back in his chair and thought about what Giles had said. "I know what he must be thinking of right now because it's been on my mind also ever since they took Dr. Martin. I've been asking myself how can we ask the women in our lives to be place themselves in such a vulnerable position. Our work puts them all in danger, and I don't mean just from getting hurt in a battle. Right now they are focusing on Angels women and using them for sex. I think they feel like they are able to hurt or control Angel by using Cordelia and Dr. Martin. But Giles all of our women can be used like that. All of them are in danger every minute of every day and night. How do you deal with it Giles? You have Buffy, Willow, Tara and Dawn. Buffy must think of what they could do to Dawn all of the time." Wesley looked up at Giles with tears in his eyes. "I don't think I would stay here if they did that to Fred. I don't think I could stand it."

"I have often thought of the same thing Wesley. I have learned over the years that Buffy can take care of herself and if she can't then their probably isn't anything that I could do to prevent it. I know that Spike thinks the same thing because we have talked about it before. Buffy and Spike know that they most likely won't be able to grow old together. I think perhaps that's why their love making is so intense they want to make love each time as though it was their last time. I know that we all tease them about how often they are doing it but we could probably learn from them." Wesley had his head down as he listened to Giles.

"I am going to get some breakfast and I'll probably be upstairs all day and night with Mary. I think you should talk to Cordelia about Angel. She might know already but you should check with her." Giles left then to get something to eat.

When Giles re-entered Mary's room 30 minutes later he carried a tray with a wrapped sandwich, some fruit and a couple of cans of Cherry flavored Coke. He put the sandwich in the refrigerator along with the Coke. He saw Hunter looking at him. "I thought I would bring her a sandwich for when she wakes up. I'm sure she will be quite hungry." "That's a good idea she hasn't had anything since yesterday. I'll leave you now if you should need anything Giles please don't hesitate to call me." "Thank you Hunter I promise that I'll call if I need to." Hunter left then and Giles checked on Mary then went to the couch and turned the TV on.

Upstairs Cordelia was taking care of her daughter and preparing a diaper bag to go along with her. She needed to go to Angel and she needed to give him one hundred percent of her attention so she was going to let Tara and Willow take care of her for a few hours. She had several bottles of her breast milk in the bag so that she didn't have to come down to feed her. She dressed her daughter up in a bright colored yellow sleeper then put her in a blanket and took her down the hall to Willows door. She knocked at the door and Willow answered. "Come in."

Cordelia opened the door and saw the two women at the kitchen table playing cards. "Good morning ladies. Could I possibly impose on you to do some baby sitting duty for a few hours?"

"Of course we would love to watch her for a few hours. Take as long as you want." Willow said as Tara picked up Kathleen. Kathleen was giggling at Tara as she played with her.

"Are you going out someplace?" Willow asked. "No, Kathleen needs to share me with her Daddy right now. I'm sure you heard what went on this morning when Angel was in with Dr. Martin." "Yes we couldn't help but hear it I almost dropped my cup of coffee when I heard her scream." "Well Angel was hurt pretty bad by her response to him. He's up on the fifth floor right now trying to deal with it. I think that when I come down later this afternoon that we women will have to have a long talk. Angel is wondering if we women should be involved in Angel Investigation or if he should just close it down. First I was attacked then Mom. It's been just as hard on him as it has been on us. So if you need me I'll be upstairs on the fifth floor. I don't know what room yet though so you will just have to call out or open every door." Cordelia gave her daughter a kiss 'Be good for your Aunt Willow and Tara.' She left then to look for Angel.

Cordelia walked by the doors trying to get a feeling of his presence. She made it all the way to the end of the hallway and finally felt that he was in the last room. She carefully opened the door and stood in the doorway as she let her eyes adjust to the dark. When she finally was able to see she looked around the room and saw Angel in the furthest corner. He had pulled a mattress down that was standing in the corner so that it was now laying on the floor. She could see Angel laying on it.

Cordelia carefully closed the door as quietly as possible then walked over to the mattress and removed her shoes then laid down beside her husband. She wished that she could hear his heart beating like he did so that she could tell if he was sleeping or not. She couldn't even tell if he was awake by his breathing. So she did the next best thing. The mattress they were laying on had feathers coming out of the sides so she grabbed one and started tickling his nose with it. When he tried to push whatever was tickling his nose away she pulled the feather away. She started doing it again when he settled back down.

"What are you doing Mrs. Martin?" "I am testing you to see if you are awake or not and if your not I am trying to wake you up." "Oh, as long as I understand the reason for your torture of my nose." "What are you doing all alone up here?" "I'm just thinking." "No wonder I smelled smoke." "Very funny, ha, ha." "What are you thinking about?" "I am thinking about whether I should be asking the women in my life to put their lives on the line. When someone wants to get to me, they go after you women. If something should ever happen to Kathleen...I don't know what I would do."

Cordelia was lying on her side and watching Angel. She could see the tears falling down the side of his face.

"Angel I started in this business when I decided to join in and help the Scooby Gang. No one asked me to join the gang I just did my usual moves and wormed my way into it. Of course I have to admit that there was this handsome hunk of a manpire that belonged to Buffy but I didn't let that stop me. We women have talked about the possibility of these things happening to us many times. Especially after I was raped. All of us women, including Buffy, had a meeting and we discussed the danger of what we do. Mom was there with us all of the time. I think what we should do is have another meeting between all of us and discuss this. You men have to understand that we women know what danger we are walking into."

"I know that you all understand and except the danger of the work that we do but you don't understand how hard it is on us when you women are hurt. You don't understand how bad we feel and how we feel that it was all our fault that you have been hurt. It just tears me up inside that I couldn't protect you when those teenage vampires attacked us."

"Angel how do you think I felt when you were tortured and delivered back to us crucified on a cross? How do you think I feel every time that I had to patch you up or help Mom take care of you? Do you think that you men have a monopoly on caring about what happens to our loved ones? This discussion is at an end now Angel. We will wait to discuss it further when Mom is feeling better. I want you to make wild passionate love to me now Angel because that is the only thing that you can truly control."

They hadn't made love in a long time. Not totally anyway, not the way only he could make love to her. He turned towards her and proceeded to do exactly what she told him to do. He made love to her with all the skill that he had developed over the years. He made love to her as though it was the last time he would be able to do it. He kissed her lips and his tongue searched out hers. They intertwined as lovers intertwine their arms and legs when making love. Once he started making love to his wife he realized that he was very hungry for her. He pursued her aggressively and for a moment he forgot himself and made Cordelia cry out in pain. Angel pulled back. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" "Yes you big clown, when you pushed yourself inside of me so hard my back pushed a spring in the mattress." Cordelia sat up and moved over, and there it was. It wasn't very big but it had a sharp end. She turned around so that he could see her back. "Check it Angel, it felt like it scratched me pretty bad." Even though it was dark in the room Angel could see as though they were in the day light. "It's not too bad, I'll clean it for you." He licked her skin clean then continued running his tongue over the rest of her skin. As he breathed on the skin of her back she gave a slight shudder.

"What's wrong Angel? You're making love like you have something to prove." "I do. I have to prove to myself that I am a man and the extra stuff belongs to that part of me that's a Vampire. But I a man first and foremost."

Cordelia turned around to face him, they were still standing and Angel picked her up and pushed her against the wall. He kissed her all over and lifted her up until he could reach her breasts. He started sucking on her breast hard and drained it within a minute then he started on the other one. When he was finished he lifted her higher. Cordelia wrapped her legs around his waist and he lowered her slowly until he slid inside of her gently. Cordelia raised and lowered herself slowly while Angel laid a path of kisses from her lips to the side of her face then finally to her neck. He started to lick her neck and gave it light nips and sucked at the skin then licked it again. Cordelia knew what was coming so she started to lower and raise her hips more quickly. Angel lowered them to the mattress again and quickly brought them to the highest point of their love making. At the last second he turned his visage into that of the Vampire, bit into her neck and drank as he brought them to that mountain peak. Since they were on the fifth floor Angel didn't bother to cover her mouth as she peaked. He let her call out his name in ecstasy. She repeated his name over and over again until she was drained. Cordelia reached up to him with her hands and pulled him down so that she could reach his lips then kissed gently.

"No woman could ask for a better friend, lover or husband. Remember that you said you wanted to paint my portrait?" "Yes, I haven't forgotten." "When you are ready to do it I want you to promise me that you will stand for your portrait to be painted also." "Your very wish is my command my wife." Angel kissed Cordelia again and again. Their exhaustion from their love making finally overtook them and they stayed on the mattress and slept in each others arms.

Almost five hours later Cordelia was awakened by a soft knock on the door. "Cordelia are you in there?" "Just a minute Willow." Cordelia jumped up and put her outer clothes on then she went to the door and opened it and stepped out of the bedroom since Angel was still sleeping with nothing on. "What's the matter Willow is Kathleen okay?" "Oh yes she's fine." "It's just that we've given her all of the milk you left in the bottles and she is still hungry. The first time we fed her she took two of the bottles and we only had one left. Now she is ready for another feeding and the one bottle didn't satisfy her. Since you're the only one that has what she wants I thought I would bring her up here before she wakes up Dr. Martin."

"Okay Willow I'll take her. Has Fred started dinner yet cause I'm starving?" "Yes she has I think she is making a beef stew. At least that's what it smelled like." "Good, as soon as I get done feeding her we'll be down. Thank you for taking care of the little Munchkin." "Any time Cordelia, any time." Willow left and Cordelia closed the door. She went to the mattress and settled herself down on the mattress next to Angel. She removed her blouse and put Kathleen to her breast. Her mouth searched for the nipple and when she found it she started suckling noisily.

"Lucky for you my dear daughter your Mama's breasts have filled up again. Your Daddy was so greedy he took all that I had to give at the time." Angel was feeling much better now so he got on his knees and looked at his daughter. "What your Daddy wants your Daddy takes even if it's the food right out of his little girls mouth. Ha, ha, ha!" "Kathleen just looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Angel tried to gently push her mouth away from Cordelia's breast but Kathleen just pushed his finger away and put her hand on her mothers breast as though to say 'Mine'." Cordelia and Angel just laughed at their daughters greediness.

Angel put his hand on Kathleen's head and smoothed her hair away from her face. Her hair was growing now and had started to form little ringlets. It had also started to take on a darker coloring. "She reminds me more and more of my mother. Things that I had almost forgotten like the color of her hair. I think that if anything should happen to you or her I would just wait until the morning sun came up and walk into it."

"You can't ever do that Angel, nor could I if I was to loose either one of you. We would have to learn to cope with our loss and find some way to continue." "Why should we have to continue in this world? It is too harsh, I don't want our daughter to grow up knowing that so much ugliness exists in the world."

"Angel don't you remember one of the basic rules that we were taught in catechism. We were taught that suicide is a mortal sin. Our lives are not ours to end whenever we want. Only God has that right to end it. Our lives belong to God and not to ourselves. We made Kathleen when your sperm and my egg joined together but God gave that spark of electricity that started her growing. All we did was give the basic ingredients that were needed for her to grow into a human being. God was the one that made her grow, He is the one that gave her a soul. Just as you and I were made and given our souls. Promise me Angel that you will never entertain that idea again otherwise there is no hope that you and I will be joined forever in Paradise."

Angel looked into her eyes. "I promise that I will never try to end my life in order to stop suffering." He kissed her tears away and she wiped his away with her fingers.

Cordelia looked at her daughter then, she had stopped nursing and had gone to sleep. As she usually did when Angel was with her she gave him Kathleen to burp while she cleaned herself. She got dressed then and took Kathleen from Angel after he got a satisfying burp from her. Angel dressed also and they all went downstairs to join the rest for dinner.

When they joined the rest at the dinner table Angel held Kathleen while Cordelia warmed his glass of blood up. She gave him a cup of the stew with meat, some gravy and also gave him a couple of slices of bread. She then filled a small bowl for herself. Angel drank his glass of blood then started playing with his daughter. To every ones surprise Angel gave a loud belch. "Excuuuuuse me everyone. I don't know where that came from." Cordelia just smiled at him. "I do but you're too big for me to burp you." Angel turned red from embarrassment.

For the first time they heard Kathleen giggling and everyone turned their attention towards Kathleen. Unfortunately Angel chose that time to hold his daughter up over his head and before Cordelia could say anything Kathleen's last meal came up right in Angels face.

Everyone cracked up while Angel ran to the kitchen to clean his face and clothes. When he returned he took Kathleen back from Cordelia so she could finish her dinner. "Now 'that' my dear Kathleen is a mistake I won't make again. Especially since it doesn't taste very nice when it comes back up from your tummy." He tickled her tummy and was rewarded with a giggle.

Angel leaned back in his chair and drank the rest of his blood. He looked at Connor sitting down at the other end of the table. "How are you doing with your work Connor? I know you have a list of things you want to accomplish before the next school year starts."

"Well I have my driver license now, I passed the test just the other day. I took my GED test last week and we're waiting for the results. Has anyone checked the mail today? I was hoping that the results would have come in today." Connor asked.

"How do you think he did Wesley and Fred?" Angel asked.

Wesley and Fred looked at each other. "Wesley and I think he did very well. He had a hard time with math at first but then with a little help he caught on and now he excels at it. We think that he should have passed with flying colors." Ever since Fred had married Wesley her rambling when she talked had ceased. She got to the point and that was it.

"With what I have seen so far Angel your son will be well suited for the task ahead of him. He thinks like you do and all he is lacking is your years of experience. For his schooling I want him to take classes that would prepare him for a position with a police department. Of course that isn't what he would do but all of the classes that he would take would be perfect for the type of work we do. Now as for Kathleen I have no idea what kind of classes she would need to take. We are going to have to do some investigation while she is growing up as to what would help her and Angel Investigation the most."

"Well that's easy Wesley she needs to take math and computer skills. Since she will be taking over for me as well as Cordelia she will need math for witch craft plus Latin would be a big help." Willow said in a matter of fact way.

"What do you mean, take over for you?" Angel asked.

"I thought you knew Angel. Remember when I first put my hand on Cordelia's stomach before Kathleen was born? Remember how she didn't pull away from me like she did from even her own brother?" "Yes I remember she didn't even hesitate she went right to your hand." Angel said.

"That is when I knew that she was a witch. I could feel it in her mind. I could feel the power in her. She will be more than a Seer for her brother she will help to protect everyone here and be able to take care of herself without any problem." Willow said all of this as though everyone knew the same thing.

While everyone still had their mouths open Wesley spoke up. "Well I guess I'll know what Kathleen will be studying and with whom."

Cordelia was the first to recover from the news about her daughter. "Well I for one am happy that she will be able to protect herself better. Now she will be able to protect her Mommy and Daddy as they get too feeble in their old age to help."

"That is hard to imagine Angel as too old and feeble to protect everyone else." Wesley said as he put his note pad away. They were all quiet for a while as they contemplated their own mortality.

Angel looked down at his daughter when she looked like she was concentrating on something. "Ewww the dumping of nuclear waste is in progress." Angel tried passing her back to Cordelia but she was faster and she started to pick up the plates. "Well I guess we can start clearing the dinner plates while you change her diapers and she hasn't had a bath today so you can take care of that also. Maybe it will help her to sleep through the night so that mommy can get a good nights sleep for the first time since she was born."

"I guess I can do that, not unless we have a volunteer at the table. Someone like her brother?" Angel asked. "Not me, besides I've never even changed her diapers yet and I wouldn't know how." Connor said.

"Well I guess there is no time like the present to learn." Angel rose from the chair and started up the stairs with Connor in tow.

"I have to get this on the camera guys." Cordelia said as she went running up the stairs behind them.

"Well I guess that leaves just us to clean up." Fred said as she started to clear the table.

"Willow, Tara and I can take care of it Fred since you made the dinner. Why don't you go and spend some time with Wesley." Buffy said as she started to pick up the dishes. Willow and Tara started to pick up dishes also along with the rest. By working together they had the dinning room table cleared within just a few minutes. Everyone went to their own rooms after that. When Connor was through helping Angle with Kathleen he came down stairs looking for Gunn to play a game on the Play Station with him.

The PTB had other plans for them for the night though as they sent a vision to Cordelia. Angel called everyone and told them about the vision. Buffy, Spike, Wesley, Connor and Gunn followed Angel to the weapons cabinet and they went running out of the back doors.

"Well at least your Daddy and big brother were able to clean you up and give you a bath." Cordelia wanted to try keeping her daughter awake for a while so she sat on the bed, turned the TV on and started playing with Kathleen.

Around midnight she heard them coming through the doors. A few minutes later the door opened and Angel came in. He was all dirty from the battle with the vampires that had attacked the people at the beach. "How did it go?" "Okay, we were able to get there before they killed anyone. I guess the PTB are starting to clean up their act. They're giving you the vision before anything actually happens. I'm going to take a shower." "Angel since you were on the beach you probably have sand all over you why don't you go to the balcony and remove your clothes out there and leave them on the chair outside. I'll shake them out tomorrow morning. No one should be able to see you if I turn the lights out." Angel was to tired to argue so he just looked at her and said "Yes dear." He then went to the balcony after turning the lights out and started to remove his clothes. He heard something close by and turned around and saw Wesley on his balcony doing the same thing. "You too." "Yeah the first thing she said was go out to the balcony and remove your clothes." After they removed their clothes and carefully draped them over the patio chairs they said goodnight, and went to take their showers.

The next morning everyone came down at the same time. After the previous nights activities the men were hungry for a large breakfast. When Cordelia came down she saw Fred cooking up breakfast steaks with scrambled eggs and toast. "Can I help Fred or do you have everything about done?" "You can put some fruit out on the table Cordelia, I have some nice cantaloupes, honeydews, and strawberries that you can prepare." Fred told Cordelia.

Buffy came into the kitchen also. "What about me Boss?" "You can warm up the blood for Hunter, Angel, and Spike." Fred told Buffy as she started to make more scrambled eggs and put the steaks on for Angel and Spike. She had already made the breakfast steaks for the rest and since Angel and Spike took theirs very rare she didn't have to put them on the grill until the last minute. Fred cooked them just long enough to warm up the inside of the meat.

Within a few minutes the ladies brought the food in and everyone dug in. Five minutes later, every ones attention, was drawn to the stairs. Walking down the stairs slowly was Dr. Martin, Giles and Hunter. Dr. Martin was holding onto Giles arm, she had a beautiful soft green nightgown on along with a large robe that matched the nightgown. The gown flowed slightly behind her as she came down the stairs. Hunter had helped her to put some tiny braids at her temples that were pulled to the back. The rest of her hair hung loosely down her back. Her complexion was much brighter this morning since she had been able to get a good nights sleep.

As Giles guided Dr. Martin to her customary chair at the table, Angel stood up. The rest of the men followed his example and stood up as Giles helped Dr. Martin to sit down and push her chair in for her.

"Please, sit down gentlemen." Dr. Martin said once she was settled in. Giles poured her some coffee and a glass of orange juice. "What would you like to eat?" Giles asked her. "I think I would like some scrambled eggs, fruit and a slice of toast." Giles proceeded to put the food in her plate and in his own. When he was done she noticed everyone watching her.

"Please, everyone, continue to eat your breakfast before it gets cold. We'll talk later."

After everyone was finished eating and leaning back in their chairs and having coffee Dr. Martin cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"I wanted to thank all of you for the flowers, get well cards and the prayers placed inside of each card. I also wanted to thank you for understanding my need for a quiet and peaceful recovery." Dr. Martin stopped when she heard someone coming in through the back doors.

Dr. Thompson came in and saw that everyone was at the dinning room table. "Good morning everyone." They all answered with a good morning and Mike then went to Dr. Martin and kissed her on the cheek. "How are we feeling this morning Mary." "A lot better Mike I was just thanking everyone for their kindness while I've been recovering. If you haven't eaten yet I'm sure we can make some room for you." "No thanks I just had breakfast, I'am just going to pull up a chair over here by Micky here." Hunter looked at Angel and gave him a look that let him know that if he said anything he would suffer for it. Angel just looked up at the ceiling as though he hadn't heard anything.

Everyone, moved over a little and gave him room, for his chair, next to Hunter. Mike put his chair next to her and gave her a light kiss.

"Well to continue I also wanted to tell you all that I am feeling a lot better thanks to Giles and Hunters care. I am having one specific problem because of the multiple rapes. Since they were all demons from another dimension I am having a problem with accepting the presence of my Angel and Spike. It isn't Angel and Spike the men, that repulses me, it's the demons they carry with them that I am having a problem dealing with. I accept Hunter because she is a woman."

Dr. Martin was starting to hurt after sitting in the hard chair for a while. "Giles could you get me a pillow to sit on I'm starting to experience some difficulties." Giles went to get the pillow that Cordelia kept in Angels office. Mary stood up when Giles brought the pillow and put it on the chair. When she tried to sit down though she couldn't sit down without moving the pillow back further. She looked at Giles and laughed 'I seem to be to short now to put my behind on top of the pillow.'

Giles laughed at her and then put his arm under her legs and picked her up then sat her down on the chair. "Thank you." They all laughed at her predicament. Giles sat down and patted her on the head 'Your welcome little girl.' "That's okay I'll let that pass this time since you helped me." To let him know that it didn't really bother her she said it with a smile.

"Now to get back to what I was saying; remember Angel how I hypnotized Cordelia, and why I did it?" "Yes, you did it because she couldn't stand for me to be out of her sight. She was also a lot better after."

"Well I need the same thing right now. Because I am a psychiatrist I can reason some things out by myself. I understand what causes some feelings, how to deal with them and so forth. My mind seems to be hiding from me the reason why I am have a problem with you coming near me. I have been rethinking the rape over and over in my mind so much that I haven't been able to sleep and give my mind the rest that it needs. Yesterday after you left I asked Hunter to give me something to make me sleep for at least eight hours so that I could deal with what I need to do today. I asked Hunter if she could hypnotize me and take me through the rape, but she has declined since she has never done it without a professor being by her to guide her through it. I knew that Giles has done it before with Buffy so we tried it this morning. For some reason though when he started to hypnotize me I started getting ...uh...I started getting..."

"She started to get turned on every time Giles tried hypnotizing her." Hunter blurted out. "I could hear her heart start to beat faster, her breathing became more rapid and she started to sweat. It was like watching a porno flick. She had me getting so hot that I almost jumped Giles myself."

Dr. Martins face turned beet red and everyone tried hiding their smiles.

Buffy turned her face away from everyone. Her face had turned red she was so embarrassed when she heard this about Giles.

It took at least fifteen minutes for everyone to stop laughing. "That's okay Mom I start getting hot just thinking of Angels Tattoo on his back." Cordelia said.

After Dr. Martin was able to get control of herself she continued with what she was saying.

"As I was saying Giles can't hypnotize me so that leaves only one other person that I know of that can do it. Hunter said that you can hypnotize me Angel."

Angel became real quiet then and everyone else did also when they saw Angels reaction to what Dr. Martin had said.

"Did Hunter tell you how I do it or why I used to use it all of the time?" "No, I didn't say anything about that. My thinking Angel was that all we need for you to do is hypnotize her then I will take over. If you lose control of yourself Mike and Giles can pull you back before you cross the line." Hunter said.

Angel stood up and threw his napkin down on the table then started to walk back and forth up and down the length of the table. After doing this several times he stopped and kneeled at the side of Dr. Martins chair. When she started to move away from him he was careful not to touch her or even her chair.

"Angelus hypnotized our victims in order to get control of them. He would often take the women where everyone could see us. People would always just think that we were lovers when it was a woman. We would just take the men into an alleyway or behind some bushes. They wouldn't scream because we had complete control of them. What I am afraid of Mom is that Angelus may push me to go further and what we call the Blood Lust will take over and I won't be able to stop myself from taking your blood. It happened when someone used a mystical poison to try and kill me and the only thing that would save me was the blood of a Slayer. Mom I almost drank Buffy dry. I became lost in the Blood Lust. I don't know why but for some reason I stopped and I was able to take her to the hospital where they gave her a transfusion." "Yes Angel I understand but I trust you to control yourself. But because I don't trust Angelus Mike and Giles will be there also. Spike and Buffy can stand out in the hallway so that they can call them for help if they need to."

Dr. Martin could tell by the look on Angels face that he was still reluctant to do what she asked. "Angel do you want me to continue like this. Look at me, I am pulling away from you as far as I can while sitting. If you tried touching my hand I think I would scream." When Angel didn't respond she stood up from her chair then.

"Angel I am going up to 412 now. I will expect to see you there within 20 minutes. If your not there in 20 minutes then I will be going to my room to start packing and I will be leaving to go and stay with Giles while I recover." Dr. Martin and Giles left the table and started for the elevator.

Angel stood up and called to Dr. Martin. "Mom." Dr. Martin stopped and turned to Angel. "Yes Angel." "Mom, I am going to bring Cordelia with me because I may respond to her voice where I won't respond to anyone else." "That's okay Angel as long as she leaves as soon as possible. It won't be good for her to be there when Hunter is guiding me through the rape."

Dr. Martin and Giles entered the elevator when the doors opened and went upstairs to the forth floor. Angel went to Kathleen and picked her up from the bassinet and went back to his chair.

"What do you think of that Kathleen? Your old man has been given an ultimatum. Never in a million years would I have thought that you three women could control me so easily that if you say jump, I say how high." Kathleen seemed to be reaching up for him. Angel held her up to his face and gave her a kiss. His daughter grabbed his lip and pulled. "Owe you little rug rat." Angel pulled her hand away.

"I think we better go upstairs now before Mom pops a stitch." Angel gave Kathleen to Connor. "Thanks a lot Dad, she's wet." Connor exclaimed as soon as he put his hand on Kathleen's diaper. Angel turned and looked at Connor, 'Is that why my shirt is wet?' He turned and went upstairs laughing all the way.

Angel stopped in his bedroom and changed his shirt. Cordelia, Buffy, and Spike went on ahead to 412. Cordelia went into the room and had a seat by the kitchen table. A few minutes later they heard Angel outside of the door talking to Spike and Buffy. Angel leaned against the door for a moment and took a deep breath. He opened the door then and walked over to Dr. Martin, who was standing by the kitchen table and Cordelia. Without hesitation he grabbed her arms and forced her to look into his face. At first she started to panic and a scream started to come from her throat. She tried in vain to push Angel away. But he held onto her tightly.

Dr. Thompson started to go to them but Hunter stopped him. Out of the corner of her eye Hunter saw Giles start to go to Mary's aid but with her vampire speed she was able to stop Giles also. He fought her for a second. "Giles stop it. This is the way Angel has to do it. You can see how she is fighting him. You will hear him say something also that you won't like but it will be how he will test her to see if he has enough control over her yet." Hunter whispered to Giles as she held onto him.

Angel had both of his arms around Dr. Martin, he grabbed her hair at the back of her head. He saw the look of panic in her eyes, her heart was beating a mile a minute and he could smell the fear rolling off of her in waves. Even though he was forcing her head towards him her eyes were looking everywhere else but at him. Her eyes were open wide and she looked like a rabbit that has been caught in a trap.

"Look at me Mary. Look at my eyes, look deeply into them. Do you see your reflection Mary, look deeply. If you look carefully, you'll be able to see yourself." As she looked into his eyes she started to calm down. Angel continued to hold her closely against his own body. "I want you Mary, I want to make love to you." Angel started to move his hands all over her body. "You want me don't you?" In a dream like state Dr. Martin answered him. "Yes I want you." Dr. Martin put her hands up to Angels face and started to kiss him passionately. Angels' kisses traveled down to her neck and as he did this his face changed and he put his fangs into her neck and began to drink from her.

Cordelia came over to them and put her hand on his arm gently and spoke his name. "Angel your losing control." Angel withdrew his teeth from Mary's neck and looked at Cordelia. He blinked his eyes several times as though he was trying to clear his mind. She saw Dr. Martins blood around his mouth and on his teeth. Angel returned his attention back to Dr. Martins neck and carefully licked the blood away. He blinked several times and looked at Cordelia again. She took a Kleenex and wiped his mouth for him. He turned his attention back to Dr. Martin then. "Lets go over to the couch Mary where we can be more comfortable." Angel guided her to the couch and she followed him without hesitation.

"Mary I want you to stay here until I come back for you. This is Hunter, she is going to keep you company until I get back. You are not to talk to anyone but Hunter, I want you to do whatever she tells you to do you understand?" "Yes Angel I understand. You won't be gone long will you? No I won't be gone long." Angel got up then and went over to the furthest dark corner that he could find and sank to the floor.

Cordelia went over to him. "I'm going to leave now Angel. Are you going to be alright?" He didn't say anything he just nodded. Cordelia gave him a kiss on his forehead then stood up and left.

Hunter sat on the coffee table across from Dr. Martin. Hunter and Dr. Martin had talked extensively about what kind of questions she would ask her and how she was to proceed. The session took almost two hours because of Hunters inexperience. She was having a problem getting Dr. Martin to talk about the demons that were raping her. Ninety minutes into the session she finally was able to get to the reason for the problem she was having. When she had what she needed Hunter carefully started to bring Dr. Martin back to the present time. When she opened her eyes she was back at the present time but still in the dream state that Angel had put her in.

"Angel she isn't coming out of the hypnotic state that you put her in. I think your going to have to bring her out of it." Hunter told him.

Angel stood up from his corner of the room. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hands and took a moment to compose himself and put himself in the right frame of mind in order to do what was needed. He walked over and sat next to Dr. Martin. He picked up her hand and gently kissed it. "I'm back, did you miss me?" "Yes I did." She kissed him then he put his mouth to her ear and whispered something in it. He stood up then and picked her up in his arms and took her to the bed. He pulled her shoes off then pulled the blanket that was at the end of the bed and covered her with it. He went to the other side of the bed and took his shoes off and laid down beside her. Angel wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck and ear. "I want you to go to sleep now Mary. You seem very tired. Why don't you close your eyes now?" "You'll still be here when I wake up won't you?" "Yes I'll still be here with my arms around you and protecting you, go to sleep now, when you wake up everything will be okay and you'll feel a lot better. I am going to get up for a minute and I will be right back." Angel had an idea and the idea put a big grin on his face.

Angel went over to the calender and signaled for Mike to come over.

"How long do you think it will be before Dr. Martin can have sex again?" Angel was whispering to Mike when he asked him the question. He saw the look on his face and explained why he wanted to know. When he was done telling him why Mike had a big grin on his face also. He looked at the calender and lifted it to the next month and pointed to the date. He returned to the bed again and laid down next to Dr. Martin. He whispered something into her ear again then kissed her. Dr. Martin smiled then went to sleep. Angel waited until he could hear her breathing and heart rate slow down. He got up then and walked over to Giles.

"She's going to sleep for a long time now. Probably until tonight. She should wake up her old self again. She won't remember anything that happened between her and I right away. Later on perhaps weeks or months down the line she will slowly remember bits and pieces of it. By then I hope that she will be able to forgive me. Go and lay down beside her Giles just as you saw me do. You need to replace me in her mind."

Giles shook Angels hand and pulled him into his arms and hugged him. "I know how hard this was for you Angel and I can't thank you enough." Angel pulled away from him and said 'no Giles you can never know how hard it was on me. The only person that could possibly have an idea as to how hard it was for me is Spike.' Angel opened the door and left. As he exited the room he saw Spike and Buffy still standing outside in the hallway. Angel walked over to Spike. "I understand now how you felt when you had to deal with your mother." Angel turned away then to return to his room. Buffy went to Spike when she saw the sadness in his eyes. She took his hand then and lead him away and back to their room.

When Angel opened the door to his and Cordy's room he saw her sitting on the couch and feeding Kathleen. He came and sat down beside her for awhile. The 5 o'clock news was on and they were reporting the capture of several men that had robbed a woman the week before as she was getting money from an ATM machine. Instead of just leaving her after taking all of her money they kidnaped her also. They next day two teenage boys had found her body in the back of the mall while riding their skate boards. The autopsy had shown that she had been raped then murdered.

Angel jumped up then, he couldn't stand to sit there anymore. "I'm going downstairs to work out if anyone is looking for me." "Okay Angel." Cordy said. She was worried about him. He hadn't said anything to her about what happened with Dr. Martin. Angel changed into his sweat pants and a T-Shirt and went down stairs. He spent the next 3 hours exercising until he was exhausted and couldn't do one more push up. His arms felt as though they were going to fall off when he finally collapsed on the floor. After his breathing had returned to normal he stood up and went up to his room. As he passed the kitchen he saw Fred starting supper. He was glad that she didn't see him. He didn't feel like talking to anyone.

When Angel entered his room he saw Cordelia sleeping on the bed with Kathleen next to her. He went into the bathroom and removed his clothes and entered the shower. He thought he would take a few minutes to just let the water run over his sore muscles. As he stood there he started thinking about this morning and what he had done to Dr. Martin. He finally broke down and sat on the floor of the shower and started to cry. He started to hit the wall of the shower with his fist. He hated himself for what he did.

Cordelia knocked on the door of the bathroom but Angel didn't respond. She opened the door. The room was filled with steam so she turned the fan on that would take it out of the room and to the top of the building where it would be let out. She heard him crying, she removed her clothes and stepped into the shower. The water was too hot for her so she turned the hot water faucet down.

Angel was on the floor with his legs under him and he was leaning against the wall. Cordelia sat down by him and touched his shoulder. "Why are you crying Angel? You only did what she asked of you. Why are you punishing yourself like this?"

Without looking at her he answered. "I hate myself Cordy. I'm not angry with Mom. I hate myself because after all that I have gone through, after fighting the good fight, after suffering so much Cordy it all came down to the fact that I am a Vampire and I was only able to help her because I am a Vampire. I feel so ugly and dirty, I feel like a monster that deserves nothing but the eternal flames of Hell." Cordelia put her arms around him. She let him cry until he couldn't cry anymore and when he finally stopped she told him to stand up started to wash him. When she was done with him she bathed herself then turned the water off. Angel didn't react to her in anyway other then to do exactly as she said. She could see that he was exhausted from all that had taken place that day.

Cordelia gave him some shorts and a clean T-Shirt to put on then she told him to lay down and take a nap with her and Kathleen. "When you wake up in an hour or two you'll feel a lot better then after dinner we will sit down and have a long talk. Okay?" "Yes Cordelia."

They all slept for the next two hours and as Cordelia had said Angel woke up in a much better frame of mind.

"How are you feeling Angel?" "You were right I feel much better after that nap. Haven't you noticed Cordy that I have a hard time dealing with things when I am more or less forced to get up to early. People tend to forget that my normal sleep time is during the day."

"It's easy for me to forget since we get up late so often. Ever since Kathleen was born though I've noticed how she doesn't sleep for very long during the night. She is so attuned to you Angel that she doesn't sleep very well until very late at night, and if she does sleep she wakes up frequently."

"You know I look at her sometimes and I marvel at the thought that I helped to make this tiny human being. I have to tell you something that I just found out myself recently." Cordelia sat up and gave him her full attention.

"When Richard was here I finally found out who he is. Cordelia, Richards is my son. Wesley is the one that finally figured it out. He said he figured it out by watching Richards. He said he walks and talks just like Connor and I do. His mother was a woman that I stayed with a long time ago when I first arrived here in California. I had no idea that she was pregnant when I left. Back then, as far as I knew, my boys were dead and dried up. I offered to announce to everyone who he was but he said that he would rather that I didn't. He said that he would prefer that we keep it just in the family."

"Well I guess that's what happens when a young beautiful woman such as myself has older men come sniffing around her. She can often end up with step children that are much older than she is." Angel just looked at her. "As I recall young lady you were the one that tried to pull me into your boat with a net." "I did not." "You most certainly did. Don't you remember that you were scared about some monster or demon or something or other so you latched onto my arm and were hanging all over me. 'Oh Angel I am so afraid to go home by myself would you take me home please.' Then you just batted your eyes at me and gave Buffy a dirty look." Angel tried to imitate her. Cordelia started laughing as he knelt on the bed and pretended he was holding onto someone's arm and he looked up at the ceiling and batted his eyelashes. She finally stopped long enough to put Kathleen in her bassinet.

"Well I have you now mister." Cordelia stood up on the bed and made like Tarzan's Jane. She beat her chest and said, 'Me Jane, you Tarzan. Tarzan stray far from home and Jane will kill Chetah. Tarzan mine.' Then she beat her chest again and gave a Tarzan yell. Angel had fallen on the floor he was laughing so hard.

When they finally were able to stop laughing Angel was sitting on the floor and leaning against the bed. "I needed that. I took what happened this morning too seriously. I did what I had to do to help Mom. We were lucky that I was able to do that. I don't know what she would have done if I hadn't been able to hypnotize her. Did I tell you why she was afraid of Spike and I?"

"No you didn't say anything about it."

"One of the guards was able to change his appearance so when it came to his turn at her he changed so that he looked like me then later after a few other guards had their turn he changed his appearance so that he looked like Spike. She said he thought the whole thing was pretty funny and laughed when he was done." Angel was quiet for a moment then he jumped up and started to get dressed. "Let's go down stairs. I could drink a horse I'm so hungry."

Cordelia got dressed and then took care of Kathleen. They came down the stairs with Angel holding his daughter. Everyone else was already sitting down at the table and waiting for the food to be served. To his surprise Dr. Martin and Giles were there also.

"Well good evening everyone." Everyone answered with a good evening. Angel pulled the bassinet over to their end of the table as they walked by. Cordelia as usual went to the kitchen to warm up some blood for Angel. To her surprise Dr. Martin had followed her in.

"Cordelia, let me warm it up for him." "Okay, thank you. How are you feeling this evening?"

"A lot better, thank you for asking. I wanted to let you know that Hunter told me what happened when Angel hypnotized me. We also talked a little bit about what I said happened when I was raped. I now know why I couldn't stand to have Angel or Spike around me. She also told me how hard it was for Angel. I wanted to take his blood into him so that I could let him know that everything was okay now."

Cordelia hugged her and gave her a kiss on her cheek. When she pulled away they both had tears, which they wiped away. "Angel did take it very hard. But what bothered him more was that with all that he has been dealing with and learning about how to deal with him being a Vampire it all came down to the fact that if he hadn't been a Vampire he wouldn't have been able to help you. After I made him take a nap with Kathleen and I he felt a lot better. We played a little and afterward he was on the floor and leaning against the bed and he admitted to himself that he takes things to seriously sometimes. He seemed to have taken a big step at that moment in excepting who and what he is and how he perceives everything. He is very light hearted right now so try not to get to serious. I am hoping for some husband and wife play time tonight." Cordelia laughed as she said that.

"I'll do my best Cordy." The blood was warmed up to Angels specification now so she put the glass on a small dish and walked back to the dinning room. Angel was talking to Spike who was sitting on his left so he didn't notice who was giving him his glass of blood until Dr. Martin put her hand on his shoulder. As soon as he looked up and saw Dr. Martin standing there he stood up.

"Angel, I wanted to thank you for what you did for me. I know how hard it was for you because Hunter and I were able to talk for an hour before we came downstairs. I know now why I couldn't stand to be around you and Spike. Now that I can see what caused my problem I can except it and deal with it." Dr. Martin reached up and hugged Angel and gave him a kiss. Angel put his arms around her carefully and when she didn't pull away he picked her up as he hugged her. He whispered to her 'Welcome back Mama, welcome back.' He put her down then and she went back to her chair.

Everyone started to eat their dinner after Dr. Martin sat down. After everyone was finished eating and they were sitting around having their coffee Dr. Martin stood up and asked for everyone's attention.

"I wanted to let everyone here know how grateful I am that you have all admitted me into your family. I don't know why but you all accepted my authority over all of you without question at the beginning. You accepted my story of being sent by God Himself. You all willing worked with me to help Angel. I must say that I have never in my life seen so much love between people that are not related by blood, 'No pun intended'. You have all had to overcome monumental obstacles. Whenever I had a session with any of you, you listened with an open mind. I've given you earth shattering news and you accepted it as Gospel. I talked to Fr. Barris two days ago and I asked him if we could baptize Kathleen this coming Sunday at the earliest mass that they have which is at 6:30. Tomorrow at 8 P.M. we will go to the church and he will go through all of the instructions as to what is going to happen at the Baptism." Dr. Martin was getting tired so she sat down.

"I'm sorry guys but I am very tired right now. The last two days have been very busy for me. Angel, would you come here please?" Angel came over and pulled a chair over so that he could sit next to Dr. Martin. As he sat down next to her she picked up his hand and held it in both of hers.

"Remember the other day when I couldn't stand for you to touch me and it all ended very badly?" "Yes I remember; in fact I don't think that I will ever forget it."

"When you left I asked Hunter to give me something to make me sleep for at least 8 hours. I had been thinking about the rape over and over again as I tried to think of why I couldn't stand to have you touch me. I needed a deep sleep. Remember when I was first working with you I would give you something to make you sleep so that you would be rested enough to handle what you were having to deal with."

"Yes." Angel replied.

"I needed that kind of sleep so that my mind could rest. Well it worked pretty good for most of the time that I was sleeping. But a mutual friend of ours decided to visit me during that time. Sr. Margaret came to me in a dream. She gave me some information concerning you. I want everyone to come with me out onto the patio. Our Sr. Margaret gave me some very happy news."

Everyone got up and followed Dr. Martin out of the back door. The sun was going down but there were still pockets of sun light that made their way through the smog laden air of Los Angeles. Dr. Martin walked over to one of these pockets of light, faced Angel and put her hand out into the sun light. She pulled her hand back just slightly then she spread her fingers out.

"Put your right hand in mine Angel and interlace your fingers through mine." Angel did as she said. His hand covered hers completely and all you could see were her fingers coming through his hand.

"Try not to pull your hand back, let me direct it." Slowly she pushed his hand towards the beam of sunlight. Angel had an idea as to what she was going to do and his hand and arm started to shake, but Dr. Martin held on tightly. As she was within an inch of entering the sun light she called out to Wesley. "Wesley give me a count of every second that we have our hands in the sun light and when I withdraw our hands." "Go ahead I'm ready." Wesley said.

Dr. Martin pulled Angels hand into the beam of sunlight and as expected his hand soon began to smoke and you could smell his burning flesh. Wesley started to call out the seconds. When he reached 10 seconds she withdrew their hands. She looked at everyone then brought her attention back to Angel. She looked at his hand and put both of her hands over his. She could feel the heat coming from his flesh.

"Angel, for the next two years, or less, you are to come out here and put your hand into the sunlight for exactly 10 seconds. Sometime during the next two years, or less, you will find that your hand will no longer burn and you will be able to go into the sunlight so that Cordelia, Kathleen and you can go to the park, go to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm or where ever you choose. There is only one rule for you in this new freedom. You will not be able to work in the sunlight. I am sure that you know exactly what I am talking about. This is the message that Sr. Margaret gave me for you. Don't ask me when you will be able to do this because Sr. Margaret didn't tell me. Any questions other then the one that I said you couldn't ask?"

"No it is quit clear. Thank you." Angel turned to Cordelia. She gave Kathleen to Fred and turned and jumped into Angels arms. They were both crying they were so happy.

"Angel there is something else I have to tell you that won't make you to happy." Angel put Cordy down and turned to Dr. Martin.

"Everyone here has noticed, I am sure, that it is taking you a lot longer to heal and your temperature usually goes dangerously high. This problem will remain with you. You will continue to heal a lot faster then a normal human but much slower than you used to. Now the fact that you are being given as much as two years before you can go out into the sunlight means that you are slowly becoming human again. God is giving you time for your body and your mind to adjust. Your redemption is still years away Angel but I think that I can finally say that this is the beginning of the end. I am going in now and try and get some more sleep. Goodnight everyone." Dr. Martin gave Angel and Spike a kiss on the cheek and a hug then turned and went back into the hotel.

Cordelia and Angel chose to stay out in the garden for a while. Fred gave Kathleen back to Cordelia and she joined Wesley as the rest of them went back into the hotel. They sat on the wall of brick that encircled the Chinese Elm and just enjoyed watching the setting sun.

"Lets go upstairs while there is still some light." Angel said as he stretched out his hand to his wife. Cordelia stood up with Kathleen in her arms. They walked upstairs and into their rooms then to the balcony. This unusual little family sat on the balcony and watched the sky until they could no longer see the light from the setting sun. As the sky turned an orange red color Angel was reminded of the little poem that sailors used to recite.

Red sky in the morning,

Sailor take warning.

Red sky at night,

Is a sailors delight.

It was used to remind them that if the sky was a red color it meant that a storm was going away from them and it would be smooth sailing that night. If it was a red sky in the morning it meant that they had storm clouds coming their way.

Cordelia got up when it started getting cold. The Princess needed to be changed and it was starting to get to chilly for her. When she was done cleaning her she gave her to her Daddy and went downstairs to help Fred. Angel spent some quality time with his daughter until Cordelia came back upstairs. Cordelia put her daughter in the bassinet then Angel and her curled up on the couch while Cordelia read a book out loud to Angel. Angel liked hearing her read because her acting abilities would come into play and make the story more interesting. When Cordelia's voice finally give out Angel took over. It was 2 in the morning before they finally went to bed, they had become so caught up in the story they kept reading until Cordelia couldn't keep her eyes open. When Angel heard Cordelia snoring he put a ribbon in the book to mark their place then picked her up and put her to bed.

The next morning after breakfast Angel asked the men to join him in his bedroom while Cordelia stayed downstairs to meet with the women. Angel wanted to talk to the men about putting the women in danger. The men took seats around the bedroom and waited for Angel to tell them what he wanted to talk about.

"When Dr. Martin was taken and raped it made me start thinking. I asked myself should we be putting our loved ones in so much danger? The women seem to be a primary target when they want to get back at me for something or to try to get me to do what they want. Right now Cordelia, Kathleen and Dr. Martin are the only ones that are a target. It won't be long though before the rest of you, except Connor I hope, will have additions to your own immediate family. Spike, I know that you don't have to worry about Buffy but I know that you have Dawn to worry about. Willow and Tara can pretty much take care of themselves. In fact those guys have been taking care of each other long before the rest of you came along. But it won't be long before you will have your own children to think of. And when Dr. Martin is staying with Giles I'll expect you to take care of her also. My question is do we want to continue doing the work we are doing and put our loved ones in danger? Or do we even have the right to put them in danger?"

"This subject has occupied my thoughts also Angel." Wesley said.

"I noticed. I was just about to offer you a free membership to my All Famous Brooding Club." Angel said with a smile.

"Now I understand how easy it is to get into that mode of thought. I have decided that we can't make that decision for the women in our lives. They wouldn't stand for us to make that decision for them. We just don't have the right to say what they can or cannot do. We have to leave this up to them, they know that this is our life's work. Cordelia, most of all, knows the importance of what we do. She has been with you from the beginning and she wouldn't ever forgive you if you tried to make that decision for her."

"I was thinking the same thing Wesley but then every time I hold Kathleen in my hands I can't bear the thought of anything happening to her. Then I think if I choose to stop doing the work we do I would be going against Gods wishes. I also think He has given Connor, and from what Willow tells us, Kathleen everything that she will need to continue the good fight beside her brother. So I think our only choice is to leave this choice up to the women."

Connor had been holding his sister while they were talking. "It looks like she is ready to go to sleep already." Connor said.

"Go ahead and put her in the bassinet. Make sure you put her on her back and cover her with the blanket." Angel told Connor then he turned back to the rest of the men.

"Well, what do the rest of you think?" Angel asked. "I agree with Wesley Angel. We have to leave this up to the women. They are the ones who's lives are on the line." Giles said.

"Gunn and Spike do you agree with Wesley and Giles?" Angel asked.

"Yes." Gunn answered. "Spike, what about you?" Angel asked his childe.

"I am thinking how in the world did you and I ever get ourselves into this situation. I know that all that I am going through right now is a dream come true. I am getting to practice medicine and learn from a top notch surgeon and psychiatrist. I have a wife that I love so much that I can't imagine being without her and you could say that I equate her to blood. For you humans you have to understand that blood is as important to us as the very air that you breath is to you. It means everything to us, but I would give up everything that I have if it meant that I could make Buffy and Dawn safe. For the first time in all of my undead life I am having to learn to put others feelings before mine. Because of that I have to say that we have to consider the women's right to decide for themselves. Life isn't like it was 150 years ago where the men made all of the decisions and what women wanted wasn't important. These days we are partners in life."

"Okay then, lets go and talk to the women. I asked Cordelia to bring this up with the women so they should have been discussing the same thing. Let's see what they want to do. Connor would you bring your sister or do you want to stay up here with her?" "I'll bring her with me. You know Dad if we had a dog to protect her we wouldn't have to disturb her nice peaceful sleep." Angel didn't say anything and just lead them all downstairs.

Spike waited to walk with Connor after the others went out. "Don't be discouraged, keep up the comments and sooner or later he'll crack and give in." They smiled at their little plan to get Angel to give in and let Connor get a dog.

They found all of the women sitting at one end of the dinning room table by Dr. Martin so the men took the other end by Angel. Connor gave his sister to Cordelia. As usual the women all wanted to hold her so Cordelia unwrapped her from the blanket that Connor had put her in and she was passed around. When she started grabbing for the nearest breast the women finally had to give in and give her back to her Mother.

Angel cleared his throat loudly enough to get everyone's attention. "We came down here to find out if you women had discussed what I had asked Cordelia to talk to you about."

"You mean about whether we wanted you to stop helping people and killing demons and Vampires just so we could be safe and our children and future children safe?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes Cordelia." She could tell by the sound of Angels voice that he was getting irritated with her.

Cordelia got up and while carrying her daughter and feeding her she walked over to Angel. "Push your chair back so I can sit on your lap Angel." Angel did as she said and Cordelia sat down on his lap as he held on to her by putting his arm around her waist.

"You see this precious little human being that I am holding in my arms and feeding with the milk that my own body produces?" Cordelia looked at all of the men. "When we were first married and I let Angel make love to me I knew that we could be making another human being. I had consciously made the decision, when we were married, to become pregnant as soon as possible. I knew that both Angel and I wanted children so I didn't take any precautions to make sure that I didn't. With that decision came the acceptance of all of the pain and suffering that I would go through while this little bun was in the oven baking slowly. I accepted the possibility of all of the medical problems that women can have. I accepted the possibility of even my death. I accepted all of this because I knew what the final reward was. I also took all of those risks because I love Angel. When we aren't taking the risks of producing children then we fight by your side or help you in some way to do the work that you have to do and we know and accept the risks of doing that also."

Cordelia got up from Angels lap and went back to the other side and sat down again.

"Well guys I guess we have our answer." Angel said. "After listening to her it makes me feel like we men are wimps compared to them." Wesley said as he rubbed his face.

Kathleen was falling asleep now so Cordelia cleaned herself and put everything back into place. "Connor would you take her upstairs and as you go try getting her to burp. When you get that burp then you can put her to bed and if you would please sit with her until I come up?" Connor came over and took his little sister while Cordelia put a towel over his shoulder. Connor put Kathleen against his shoulder and started patting her on the back gently as he walked up the stairs and to her bedroom.

"Now that we have that question out of the way I have a question to ask you Angel and I didn't want Connor to hear it. Please don't take this in the wrong way because all I am interested in is the technical side of how you hypnotized me. I know what happened because Hunter told me when we talked this morning. What has me so curious about it also is that you did it so fast. Do you mind if we discuss this in front of everyone or would you rather that we go up to 412?"

"No I don't mind. If I don't let this come out into the open then Angelus will use it to try and drive me crazy. Let me explain what happened yesterday morning and maybe I'll answer your question at the same time. When I went upstairs to hypnotize you I knew that you would fight me if I touched you so as soon as I went in I grabbed you by putting my hands on your arms and held you close to me. I grabbed your hair at the back of your head and forced you to look at me because you were trying so hard to push me away. You were about to start screaming when I was able to force your to look into my eyes. I don't know what it is that you saw but I could tell that I had successfully hypnotized you. To test how deep the control was I started to do something that I knew you wouldn't do of your own volition."

Angel looked straight at Dr. Martin. "I told you that I wanted you and that I wanted to make love to you. You said that you wanted me, then you kissed me. Now this is where my brain started to get a little foggy. The next thing I knew was that I bit you and was drinking your blood but that is also when I felt Cordy calling to me and telling me I was losing control. By the time I finished cleaning the wound I was in full control again. I then led you over to the couch and turned control over to Hunter."

"I remember you telling me to look deeply into your eyes and that I would see my reflection. I remember looking in your eyes and I saw swirling pools of black and red. I guess that is when it happened. My next conscious thought was when I woke up in bed and Giles was holding onto me. Can all Vampires do this?"

"Most can but we all do it in different ways. The best one that I ever saw was Drusilla." Angel looked at Spike. "Did she ever tell you how she did it?" "Yeah, I asked her one time what she did to get her victims under control so fast. She said it was her fingernails. Remember how she used to spend so much time with them?" "Yeah, I guess Darla knew because she never yelled at her about spending so much time on them." Angel said. "She said she would get people to focus in on her fingernails and she would then redirect their eyes to looking into hers." Spike said.

"Well I was hoping that I could learn something from you as to how to get a patient to respond to my attempts to hypnotize them more easily. Now that my curiosity has been assuaged I have something important to tell you that you may not like." Angel stared at her for a few moments.

"Wait a minute while I get comfortable. I don't want to fall on the floor when I start to throw a fit." Angel stretched out on the couch and put his head in Cordelia's lap and his legs on Spikes lap.

"Okay you can tell me now." Angel said while he had his head turned towards Cordelia.

"Why are you looking at Cordelia instead of me?" "Because if I'm going to be given bad news then I want to be looking at my two most favorite toys." Cordelia slapped him lightly on his head. "Shame on you, now sit up and take it like a man." Angel sat up straight wearing a goofy grin. .

"Spike and Buffy are leaving on Monday. Giles and I will be going with them. Hunter will be leaving also. I need to spend some more time with her and while she is helping me I'll be helping her by giving her practical experience as a psychiatrist. I will be back in 3 months Angel. Come hell or high water I will be back in 3 months."

Angel didn't say anything for awhile. "How is Connor doing Wesley? Can he take a 3 month vacation?" Angel asked. "I can't tell you that until we get the test results back from school as to how he did on his GED tests. Once we get those we will be able to register him at UCLA. He can do that in one day."

"Check on it today okay? I want to send him to Sunnydale to help Spike and Buffy. He can stay at the mansion while he is there. Also since we men were all his age at one time we know exactly what will be on his mind so I am going to see if Richards can go to Sunnydale also and keep an eye on his little brother. Otherwise poor old Spike here will have a heart attack worrying about Dawn."

"Actually Angel we won't have to worry about that, Dawn is going to be spending the summer with her Father here in L.A.." Spike said. "If you don't mind I think Buffy and I would like to stay at your place while Connor stays at ours with Willow and Tara."

"That sounds good to me. Okay Mom you have my permission to go." Everyone looked at Dr. Martin and let out an 'Ohhhhhh, your in trouble now.'

Dr. Martin didn't say anything, she just had a big smile. They watched her though as she took out a notebook and pen from her pocket and wrote down something. As she put it back in her pocket she noticed everyone watching her. "You know how us old people have poor memories. I just wanted to make sure that I don't forget what he said." Cordelia I never got a chance to go shopping for a Baptismal gown for Kathleen, do you want to go with me today?"

"Yes that will be nice. I haven't been out of this place since I can't remember when. How about all of us girls going out. We can have lunch out and the men can stay home and babysit."

"I want you to go with them Connor. Cordelia can help you buy some clothes and you can help Buffy if there is a problem."

As Wesley followed Angel out of the office, he tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm glad we got that taken cared of Angel. The question has been keeping me awake at night. Now I can get a good nights sleep for the first time in almost a week."

"To tell you the truth Wesley, I don't think any of us men are going to get much sleep tonight." "What makes you say that, is their something else going on?"

"We have at least 3 women in this place that are putting out those enticing pheromones." "You can't tell who?" Wesley asked. "I can only say that it isn't Dr. Martin. Poor Giles is in dry dock until at least next month. Before I brought her out of the hypnotic trance I asked Mike when she would be able to have sex again. He told me around the middle of next month. So I told her that on a certain date she was going to want to have sex with Giles constantly for the 24 hours of that date. I told her she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off of him." "What did you do that for?" "Because when Mom hypnotized Cordelia after she was raped she told her the same thing. Cordelia couldn't keep her hands off of me she demanded that we have sex before we even went downstairs for breakfast. I know that, that was the day we conceived Kathleen. I thought that the day before Moms light switch is to be turned on that I would send Giles a couple dozen Oysters. I'll put a note in them that says 'Eat these tonight, you'll need them for tomorrow. A gift from your future step son.'

"I wish I could see the look on his face when he gets them." Wesley said as he laughed. To think of Giles being in that situation was to good to let pass. "Well I was planning on going to Sunnydale that day. Just to check up on Connor of course." "You dog, count me in." Wesley said. They went up to their rooms then laughing all the way. As he went into his bedroom Wesley soon found out that Fred was one of those women that was sending out those pheromones.

* * *

TBC...The next chapter will be the last until my next book.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Friday night, after the women returned from their shopping, they all had supper then left to go to the church for the rehearsal of Kathleen's baptism. As they entered the church they saw Fr. Barris up at the front with two other families that were there to receive instructions as to what was going to happen during the Mass. The priest saw Angel and his family and waved to them to come forward. It was a large group that walked forward to join the other two families.

"Hello everyone, please take a seat. Angel, Cordelia, Mary and Wesley please take the second row. Angel should sit at the end then Cordelia, then Mary and Wesley. Everyone else can sit to their left. This is the seating positions that you will take during the Mass. Your rows will be marked with signs for the parents last name." Fr. Barris paused while he waited for everyone to take their seats.

"Now that we have everyone here we can start. I won't introduce you individually I'll just state the last names. There will be three children and one adult that will be baptized on Sunday. The first one will be Joseph Clark, then Diana Baca then Mary Kathleen Martin. The fourth one is an adult that will be here on Sunday."

Fr. Barris continued telling everyone exactly what would be said and how they were to respond. All of this took a total of thirty minutes. When they were done and the rest left Giles, Dr. Martin and Connor stayed behind for a few minutes and talked to Fr. Barris. Angel and the rest were at the back of the church waiting for them.

Angel was watching Connor as he genuflected towards the alter before turning to leave. In the deepest recesses of his heart, Angel knew that the fourth person was Connor. He didn't want to say anything but he felt his heart almost bursting with pride in his son.

When Dr. Martin, Giles and Connor joined them they left the church, piled into Cordelia's mini van and Wesley's SUV and left. Angel was leading the way and as they came close to the Hotel he heard Wesley honking his horn at him so he slowed down and let him pull up along side of him. He opened his window when Fred opened hers.

"What's wrong?" Angel asked. "Nothing, we want to stop for ice cream." Fred yelled. "Okay." Angel yelled back and then slowed down and followed Wesley. Wesley pulled into the Dairy Queen that was down on the corner from the Hotel and they all got out. It was a warm night so they all stayed outside to eat their ice cream. Cordelia had to stay in the van with Kathleen so they all stood around the van and eating their cones, drinking their milk shakes or ice cream sundays.

"You know Fred this is a tradition in Sunnydale for the Scoobys. Especially after an encounter with whatever the night brings. Even if their isn't an encounter we still have ice cream at night. We did it all of the time when we were going to high school and we kept that up as much as possible after we graduated. I even got Angel to start eating ice cream when he was with us." Buffy said.

"Spike you should try this syrup Cordelia made out of blood. I can use it on ice cream it's so thick." Angel said as he gave Cordelia her chocolate shake. "If you like it Spike I can give Buffy the recipe and some of the syrup. I made a large batch just last week." Cordelia said.

"Thanks I think I'll try it tomorrow." Spike said.

Angel noticed that Dr. Martin looked tired and everyone seemed to be just about done.

"Lets go everyone. Two of my girls here are mighty tired." Everyone knew who it was because Kathleen was crying and Dr. Martin was sleeping in between licks of her ice cream cone. Giles finally took it from her and threw the rest away. He helped her to get into the van and sat next to her as she leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Everyone else loaded up and they left for the Hotel.

It was 11 o'clock by the time they got home. Angel pulled up to the back and let everyone get out then he parked the van. Cordelia was already upstairs while Dr. Martin and Giles were still making their way upstairs.

"Would you like me to carry you Mom?" "Would you Angel?" Dr. Martin asked him. She was practically walking in her sleep. Angel lifted her in his arms and took her to her room as Giles followed. He put her down on the bed and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Mom. Goodnight Giles." "Goodnight Angel."

Before he left Dr. Martin called to him. "Angel come here for a second I want to ask you something." Angel came back to the bed and sat next to his Mom. "I noticed that you've started to call me Momma sometimes, isn't that what you used to call your biological mother?" "Yes I did, does it bother you?" "No that's alright. I just don't want you to feel obligated to do so. I don't want you to ever see me as taking the place of your biological mother, that would show disrespect for her." Angel gave her a kiss on her forehead again. "You don't have to ever worry about that I know the difference Mom because I can still remember my real mother, but my children will know only you and before you know it Cordelia and I will be calling you Grandma so that they can learn how to address you. If things work out the way we are hoping they will we will be calling Giles Grandpa." Angel got up then and left.

Angel went to his room where Cordelia was already in bed and feeding Kathleen. He went to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of blood and went over to the T.V. and turned it on. Cordelia came over and joined him on the couch after putting Kathleen in the bassinet.

"Are you going to miss everyone when they go back to Sunnydale?" Cordelia asked as she sat on the couch with her leg under her. She leaned her head against Angels shoulder as they watched the news and the weather for tomorrow.

"Yes, I will miss everyone. I think I will be counting the days before Mom gets back. Lets go to bed Cordy. I'm getting depressed thinking about it. We have a big day tomorrow." Angel got up and held his hand out to Cordy. She just sat there and looked up at him. "Carry me?" Angel bent down and picked her up and carried her to the bed and threw her on it then threw himself on it next to her. Cordelia was laughing as he bounced on the bed and reached over to her and started to tickle her. "Stop, stop your going to make me pee all over the sheets." Angel stopped then got up and turned the T.V. and lights off. "Go to sleep little girl before I take you over my knee and spank you." "You would like that wouldn't you?" Cordelia said as she raised herself on her elbow.

"Angel?" "Yes." "Don't you think you should get up and take your clothes off before you go to sleep." "No, I am going to pretend that I am in my Dracula coffin and I am going to sleep all night in it." Angel said as he straightened his body and folded his arms over his chest. Before he knew it he was on the floor with Cordelia looking over the side of the bed.

"Well my lord Dracula if you think you are going to share my bed without taking your clothes off you are sadly mistaken. You can sleep on the floor and pretend you're in your coffin." Angel laid on the floor for a few minutes. He quietly got up then and removed his clothes then crawled into bed next to her. She had her back to him when he got into bed so she reached over and touched him to make sure he had removed all of his clothes. Without saying anything she rolled over and fitted herself under his arm. "This is much better." Cordelia said when she had settled herself in a comfortable position.

The next morning they heard Dr. Martin going around and waking everyone up.

"Get up everyone we have a lot to do today. We have a new soul to be welcomed into the Catholic Church today." You could hear everyone getting up and taking a shower. Along with all of the noise came the cry of a baby. For the first time Cordelia let Kathleen cry without attending to her right away. Angel and Cordelia had just entered the shower and where trying to get ready as fast as possible. As they were drying themselves Angel noticed that her breasts were leaking milk.

"You're leaking my dear." "I know I do that as soon as I hear Kathleen crying. Mom says it's just natures way of getting my breasts ready to feed her. The milk glands start excreting milk when I hear her cry then when I put her to my breast the milk is already in the nipple."

As soon as she was finished drying herself Cordelia went to her daughter and changed her first then fed her. After Angel had shaved and brushed his teeth he came out into the bedroom and dressed. Cordelia was done feeding Kathleen by then and handed her over to Angel to burp while she got dressed. By 11 o'clock everyone was down in the Lobby and waiting on the Princes and her parents to come down. Angel and Cordelia came down through the elevator. "Let's go everyone what are you waiting for?" "We're waiting on you two." "Where is Wesley and Connor?" Angel asked as they started walking to the back. "They're waiting for us in the back."

Everyone filed into the vehicles and Angel waited while Cordelia strapped Kathleen into her car seat. She hadn't put Kathleen's baptismal gown on yet so that it wouldn't get wrinkled or dirty, for now she was clothed in a sleeper to keep her warm. As soon as she got into the van Angel and Spike made a run for it to the van with a blanket held over their heads. As soon as he was in Connor took off for the Church. It was 11:50 when they finally pulled into the side where the covered entrance was. Everyone jumped out and went into the church while Connor and Wesley parked the vehicles. When they entered the side of the church Dr. Martin told the rest to take a seat while they waited for Connor and Wesley. Cordelia took the opportunity to put Kathleen's baptismal gown on. She had also brought along one of the green and white blankets that Angel had bought in Ireland.

As soon as Connor and Wesley came in Dr. Martin lead them to the pew marked Martin Family. As Angel was waiting for the rest to be seated he was looking at the rest of the people in the church. He spotted David and Marissa Morgan along with Bobby and his cousin. Richard was with them also and he stood up and took a picture of Angel holding is little sister. Angel waved at them then he saw Fr. Barris standing at the back and getting ready to start the mass so he sat down as soon as Cordelia entered the pew and sat down.

When it came time for the Baptism Angel was so nervous he almost forgot what he was supposed to say in response to what Fr. Barris was asking. Cordelia saw how nervous he was so she put her arm around his waist. Angel took a deep breath and concentrated on calming his nerves. His arm had started to shake but that was the first thing he concentrated on since he was holding his daughter.

Fr. Barris had gone to each family at first and asked a question, when each parent answered with the appropriate answer he proceeded to baptize the first baby, then the second. Then it was finally Mary Kathleen's turn. Dr. Martin and Wesley followed Cordelia and Angel up to the alter and the baptismal fountain. Fred had gone up also and was standing to the side so she could film the whole ceremony. Angel held his daughter through the whole ceremony. When they were done they were told to go and stand with the other families while the fourth person was called on to come up to the alter to be baptized.

Angel could have sworn that he had a light emanating from his body because he felt that everyone must be able to see the pride that he had in his son at that time. As Connor started to walk up to the alter along with Giles Dr. Martin came forward to stand by Connor and Giles. Connor turned to Angel and Cordelia and asked them to stand by him. Fr. Barris then proceeded to baptize him. When it was all done and Fr. Barris presented the newest members of the Catholic Church and asked everyone to welcome them Angel pulled Connor into a bear hug. He hugged Connor so tightly and for so long that Connor had to remind him that he needed to breath more frequently then his father. Angel let go of him and Cordelia came to him and gave him a hug and kiss on his cheek also. Connor looked at his sister, gave her a kiss and congratulated her also.

After mass was over they all went over to Lorne's Carritas and spent the rest of the day celebrating. Lorne had closed the bar just for the baptismal party and when they came in they were greeted with a banquet of food and blood. David Morgan had brought the blood that was from his prize winning cattle along with some sheep blood for Angel. The rest of the food was Mexican food of all kinds so Fred was in seventh heaven.

After eating Angel was leaning back in his chair and playing with his daughter. Wesley had already had some alcohol so he was more relaxed then usual. He came over to Angel and asked him to let him hold his Godchild for awhile.

"No, I'm playing with her go and make your own daughter. I think Fred is the one that is ripe for the picking right now." Wesley just looked at Angel. Then he stood up straight, pulled up his pants and with his hands on his hips he said 'Alright since you don't want to share I think I will do just that.' Wesley turned and went to Fred. To Fred's surprise Wesley pulled her up from her chair and put her over his shoulder. He then went to Lorne. "Lorne may we borrow your bedroom for a while so that Fred and I can make our own daughter or son for me to play with?" "Yes Wesley you most certainly may borrow my bedroom. Just go through that door over on the other side of the bar. It will be the first door on your left. Good luck." Everyone cheered him on as he left the bar.

"Go get her Wesley, yaaah Wesley!" Everyone clapped as he went through the door. Everyone was so drunk they didn't know what they were doing. Dr. Martin said 'I will be very surprised if Wesley is able to create anything tonight but a headache.' Cordelia, Buffy, Hunter and Marissa all laughed. Hunter and Buffy had only had a couple of drinks and were now drinking coffee. Marissa couldn't drink since she was pregnant. Cordelia wasn't drinking because of her having to take care of Kathleen. But all of the men were drunk to the point of hardly being able to stand. Connor had learned the hard way not to drink to the point of being drunk when the men had been stuck in the Hotel to celebrate Angels bachelor party. The next morning he was so sick that the lesson of 'what goes down will come back up the next day' stuck.

It was now 12 midnight and Cordelia was tired and needed to get Kathleen home and in her bassinet. Wesley and Fred were coming back from Lorne's bedroom just as Cordelia was going to stand up and tell everyone that she was leaving. At the same time Connor was taking movies of all of the participants of the party. When he saw everyone turned to watch Wesley and Fred come back into the room he turned the camera on them also.

Wesley saw the others watching him. "Well did you put your order for your own princes or prince in with Fred?" Angel asked him.

"The order has been stamped, sealed and delivered. Just to make sure that my order doesn't get lost I registered a second and third order." Wesley swaggered over to his chair and plopped himself down into his chair. "Now it's Spike and Gunns turn to get their family started."

"I think it's time to call an end to these festivities. Ladies gather up your men and pour them into their respective vehicles. I've run out of diapers and the princes's mommy is tired. Lorne thank you for letting us have our party at Carritas. I know that normally we would have been up later celebrating but now we have a special little someone that we have to take care of." Cordelia bundled up Kathleen and placed her in her carrier. "Lorne do you mind holding all of Kathleen's gifts here and I'll send Connor over tomorrow to pick them up?" "Sure Cordy, no problem."

It took Cordelia a total of 10 minutes to put Kathleen into her car seat. It took her and Connor a total of 20 minutes to get Angel out of Carritas and into the van and strapped in. When Connor was done with Angel he had to help his grandmother with his Godfather. He was a lot easier since even drunk Giles was a proper gentleman. That is if you didn't count him missing the step up to the van, several times, or hitting his head against the top of the door. Eventually though he was able to just crawl in on his hands and knees to the seat at the back.

Poor Connor had to endure a lot of kissing and hugging and a stained white shirt and jacket. Angel kept on saying how much he loved Connor and how proud he was of him.

"When you told me he was a happy drunk you didn't tell me he became a blubbering idiot also." Connor said as he and Cordelia had half carried and half walked Angel to the van.

"Sorry Connor, I've never seen him like this." Cordelia said as they finally got him into the seat. As they got him strapped in and Giles was in Cordelia and Connor loaded up also and they left for the hotel. Angel was singing an Irish song at the top of his lungs. Connor looked at Kathleen. She was smiling and giggling at what she couldn't tell. Connor looked at the back of the van.

"How are you doing Grandma?" Connor asked.

"Okay, he's sleeping now." Giles was laying down and had his head in Dr. Martins lap. "He is going to be sick as a dog tomorrow morning. Are we going to engage in the usual punishment in the morning Cordelia?" "Normally I would do that Mom, but look at Kathleen. See how happy she is. All evening she has been smiling and giggling along with her Daddy. That tells me that if I make Angel suffer then she will be a very unhappy baby."

"We better talk to Buffy, Fred and Hunter before we go to bed then and find out what they are going to do and let them know that the usual will have a bad affect on Kathleen." Dr. Martin told Cordelia.

Cordelia was pulling into the parking lot of the Hotel. She pulled up to the back door of the Hotel and got out. She then opened the two side doors and Connor and her took Angel out of the passenger seat. "Take him over to the bench in the garden Connor then come back and help Grandma with Giles." Connor helped Angel to the bench and had to endure some more hugging and kissing. After he made sure that Angel would stay sitting on the bench he went back to the van and helped with Giles. Cordelia unloaded Kathleen from her car seat and took her over to the garden along with her diaper bag. "The keys are in the van Connor would you park it please?" "Sure, I'll be right back."

As Connor pulled the van out to park it Fred pulled up to let her passengers out. As each car unloaded it's drunken passengers Cordelia directed them to sit on the bench with Angel. They were so drunk that they didn't ask questions they just did what she told them. By the time all of the drivers came back the men were all singing 'There's no Business like Show Business'.

The men were holding onto each other like they were in a chorus line. Cordelia gave Dr. Martin Kathleen and she got at the end of the chorus line by Angel and joined in but started them going into the hotel. The other women just watched in amazement as they followed her in.

Fortunately all of this wasn't going to be lost. Connor had the movie camera going and caught the whole thing. As the Chorus Line made its way into the hotel, the women followed. Cordelia was having a ball also as she thought of ways to dance and go up the stairs at the same time. Each woman took control of their men as they came to their bedrooms. Dr. Martin put Kathleen on her parents bed then ran to get control of Giles as he finally arrived at his bedroom. Connor helped Gunn to get in his bed and brought him a tall glass of water and put it by his bed then left. As usual Connor was hungry so he went to the kitchen and made himself a huge sandwich and went back to his room. It was now 3 a.m. in the morning and the hotel was finally quiet after a long day.

No one got up until 12 noon the next day. Since the women had very little to drink they were the first ones to come downstairs. Cordelia had come down first and was making lunch for everyone. She just put platters of lunch meat and lettuce, onions, tomatoes and other things that she thought everyone might want to put on a sandwich, onto the table. Everyone could come down and make their own sandwich if they wanted and sit down or go and sit somewhere else if they couldn't stand the noise. For what was to come she wanted front seat. She didn't want to be busy getting things for anyone.

The women came down first. They each did as Cordelia did and made their own sandwiches and sat down and waited for the show to start. The first one down was Spike. He didn't show any reaction to last night, but he did just walk into the kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of cold sheep's blood. He walked over to the table and sat down next to Buffy. Instead of drinking the blood right away he just put the glass to his forehead and rolled it back and forth.

The next one to come down was Giles and Gunn. Gunn didn't come down at his usual pace instead he held onto the hand rail and took each step very slowly. Giles started to take the stairs at his usual pace but quickly changed his mind and grabbed onto the rail after Gunn. It took them several minutes to make their way to the table. No one said anything.

Mike came down next. He came down the stairs at his usual pace and didn't seem to be bothered by last nights celebration at all. "Good morning everyone, or should I say good afternoon." In return he got good afternoon from all of the women and the men just mumbled something unintelligible.

The last one to come down was Angel. He didn't dare take the stairs though, he didn't trust himself to land on his feet when he got to the bottom. As he came out of the elevator he made his way to the kitchen and did the same thing as Spike. Like Spike he took his seat at the table and put the cold glass of blood to his head and rolled it back and forth.

Cordelia decided that it was time to commence with the modified torture.

"Connor I was going through the mail and I found an envelope that I think you have been waiting for." Cordelia said this as loud as she could without sounding as though she was doing it on purpose.

Connor moved his chair back and made as much noise as possible. He ran over to the Lobby counter looked through the mail and found the one that had his name on it. He ran back to the table and sat down. He just looked at it instead of opening it right away.

"Well open it and tell us if you passed or not." Fred said. She was almost as excited as Connor. Everyone's eyes were on him now. "Here, you open it." Connor gave the envelope to Fred. She took the envelope and carefully opened it.

"To Connor Martin:

We are pleased to inform you that you have passed your GED tests and out of the 200 people that took the test you have placed second. Congratulations, we will be sending you a list containing your scores on each test and your diploma within the next five days."

Fred jumped up from her chair and went to Connor and hugged him. You did it, I told you, you would pass. Wesley reached over and shook Connor's hand and congratulated him. Wesley winced as Connor shook his hand vigorously. "Easy boy, easy that hand is attached to my body which is very tender right now. Well have to talk with your father about where you want to go to college. With grades like you have I am sure that you could get into almost any college."

"We don't have to do that right away though do we? My head is still swimming with the fact that I passed." Connor said as he looked at his letter.

"Can we see the letter Connor?" Angel asked in a quiet voice. Connor easily heard him and brought the letter down to his father and Cordelia so they could see it. After reading it Angel got up and hugged Connor and congratulated him and Cordelia did the same.

"Connor as your graduation present I want you to delay going to Sunnydale tonight and instead go tomorrow so that we can buy you a car, or truck or whatever you want tonight." Connor shook his fathers hand and hugged him. "Thanks Dad." Connor was grinning from ear to ear as he ran upstairs.

"Now my fellow sufferers. I am going to tell you about a secret place that I found up on the fifth floor. It's not cleaned, it's not furnished but it does have one thing that we are in desperate need of right now and that's quiet. It's also dark and naturally cool. I am going up their and sleep the rest of the day. If anyone wants to join me you are more than welcome. No women are allowed up there today." Angel left then to go upstairs to his fifth floor room. Wesley, Gunn, Spike, and Giles followed him. Mike was the only one that stayed behind.

"Why are you the only one staying behind Mike?" Hunter asked. "I took something to help me get over the hangover. I have to be on call all of the time so I can't afford to let a hangover take me down."

"Well ladies I guess we are on our own today. Mom are you up to a little trip to David and Marissa's house today?" "No, not today Cordy. I am still hurting from yesterday so I am going to take it easy today. What are you going to David and Marissa's for?" Dr. Martin asked.

"While the men are resting from yesterdays party I am going to go shopping for a dog for Connor. I want to go see the Dog Trainer that works for David and see which one will be the best one for him. Hunter could you come with me? I don't think Angel would be very happy if I went alone."

"Sure Cordelia. When do you want to leave?" Hunter asked as she started to get up.

"As soon as we can clean the kitchen and I can get Kathleen ready. So say in 30 minutes?" "I'll be ready. Does anyone else want to go?" Hunter asked. "I do." Fred and Buffy's hand went up.

"Okay then let me call Marissa first to see if she will be home along with the trainer." Cordelia went to her desk and made the call to the Morgan house. She was on the phone for about fifteen minutes then came back to the rest and told everyone that Marissa and the trainer would be there for the rest of the day.

"Why don't you go and get ready Cordy, we're almost done here." Fred said.

"Okay, I'll be back down as soon as I can. Come on Kathleen lets get you ready to go and see Marissa." Cordelia picked up her daughter and headed upstairs.

Twenty minutes later they were all loaded up in Cordelia's van and headed for Marissa's. Cordelia had let Dr. Martin know when they were leaving and when she thought they may be back. "Don't let Connor know what we are doing though okay?" "Okay Cordelia, your secret is safe."

They were gone the rest of the day at the Morgans. To Marissa and Davids delight Cordelia left Kathleen with them while she was talking to the trainer for most of the day and he was taking her to several different breeders of dogs that he thought would fit into Angel Investigations. It was six in the evening by the time they got home. Cordelia had made her choice and had brought the puppy home with her but she left it in her van in a carrier until Connor, Angel, and Wesley left to go and shop for a car for Connor.

Because of what was happening Buffy and Spike said that they would wait one more night and leave on Tuesday.

When the ladies came in they were surprised and glad that the men had fixed dinner and it was on the table and waiting for them. Wesley, Connor, and Angel had already eaten while Spike, Gunn, Giles, and Mike had decided to wait for the ladies.

As soon as they walked through the door Angel said they were going to go to the dealer and probably wouldn't be back until 10 or so. As soon as they left Cordelia went out to the van and brought the puppy in. "Fred I never had a dog so what do you recommend we feed him until Connor can pick up some puppy food?" "We can cook some ground meat and mix it with a hand full of rice. That should keep him happy for the rest of the night. I'm going to take him out to the garden first and see if he has to go potty."

Cordelia watched her for a while then went into the kitchen to cook the food for the puppy. Greg Steel, the dog trainer for David, had taken them to a breeder of German Shepherds that he knew personally. The puppy that they were shown had been given to the breeder as payment for stud service from their International Champion male. The puppy was already 3 months old with its ears already starting to stand up straight. It was the classic black and silver coloring. Greg was an AKC Judge for the

working breeds so Cordelia knew that he was an expert on these dogs. He told Cordelia that this puppy was an excellent example of what the breed should look like and that if they would ever want to show him he would surely be a Champion. That had sold Cordelia on the puppy.

Since the puppy's Sire was an International Champion and he had such excellent conformation the Breeder was asking for $800. Cordelia wrote a check and she was given a carrier, collar and leash along with all of the papers on the puppy.

Wesley, Connor and Angel had talked about what make of vehicle that Connor wanted. To both Wesley and Angels surprise Connor said he wanted a Dodge Van. As a car salesman walked them through the new vans Connor was looking carefully at each of the listings of all of the features and the price. Wesley was checking along with Connor but decided to hold back and see how he did.

Eventually Connor choose a black van with an upgraded interior that had 2 bucket seats in the front and two in the middle. The rest of the van was taken up by a table and two more bucket seats. The middle and back seats swivelled so that they could turn towards the back. The windows had dark tinting on the sides and back that pushed the legal limit. The interior had a

beautiful soft gray cloth on the seats and walls with the front of the dash board having a wood grain trim. The radio had both a cassette and CD player with 6 speakers through out the van.

"I want this one Dad." Connor forgot all of his research, all of the speech he had planned for his discussion with the salesman. Wesley and Angel cracked up when they saw Connor hug the van.

"Like Father like Son." Wesley said. He put his arm around the salesman's shoulder and started walking back to his office so that he could start haggling about the price. Connor started to follow them but Angel called him back.

"Why don't you stay out here Connor. I think your just like me. When it comes to buying a vehicle my brains fall out and the salesman gets whatever they want and I'm out a few thousand dollars that I didn't have to pay. Wesley is good at haggling with them. That's why I took him with me when I went to buy Cordelia her van."

"Yeah. I'm so happy right now I don't think I could talk to him let alone have an intelligent discussion on the price of the van." Connor said. They just waited outside and continued to look at the van while Wesley took care of the price and paper work. When it was time for a signature Wesley told the salesman to have Connor and his father paged. Since Connor was going to be the owner of the van his signature was needed on everything but when it came time to pay Angel signed for everything. Before they left Wesley called their insurance company and had the van and Connor covered.

By 10 o'clock they were driving up to the back of the hotel. Angel rode with Connor as they drove back to the hotel. Connor pulled up to the very entrance to the garden in the back. As soon as he came to a stop he jumped out of the van and ran into the hotel and yelled for everyone to come and see his new van.

Unknown to Connor Angel had talked to Cordelia through their link to each other and he had told her they were on their way back with Connors new van. Cordelia asked Gunn to hide in the back with the puppy, which she had put a big blue ribbon on, so that he could put the puppy in Connors van when he came in to call everyone to look at his van.

As everyone came running outside to see his van Connor turned the lights on and opened the side door. Gunn had put the puppy in the front drivers seat and Connor had opened the side door to the van and climbed in. He was so involved in showing his beautiful new van that he didn't notice the pair of small eyes under two big ears looking at him curiously.

Cordelia saw that he didn't notice the puppy so she looked at Gunn. "Where is he?"

"On the drivers seat." Gunn pointed at the front as he answered her.

Fred wanted him to see the puppy also so she said, "turn the light on in the front Connor so we can see what it has."

Connor came forward and reached up to the overhead light. As he reached for the light he hesitated. Something moved on the front seat.

Everyone was quiet and waiting to see what he would do when he finally noticed the puppy.

Connor turned the light on. He saw the puppy and his eyes started filling with tears.

"Hi fella where did you come from?" He picked the puppy up and sat back on the seat. The puppy got all excited and started licking his face.

Connor looked at Angel and then at Cordelia. He got out of the van and hugged Cordelia and his Father. "I don't know when I have been so happy. Thank you, thank you both."

"You better park your van Connor and get yourself to bed." Angel said after blowing his nose.

Connor climbed into the drivers seat and put the puppy in the passenger seat. Everyone else backed away from the van and went back into the hotel. Connor followed them all in after a few minutes after giving the puppy the opportunity to go potty in the garden. Everyone had headed up to their respective rooms. When Connor came upstairs he knocked on his Fathers bedroom door.

"Come in Connor." When Connor opened the door the puppy came in and went running to Angel as though he knew him. He picked the puppy up and he started to lick Angels face. Angel started playing with him. Cordelia was watching him playing with the puppy and suddenly a light went on in her head.

"You've seen this puppy before haven't you? You choose this puppy before I did didn't you Angel." Cordelia was wondering why he didn't tell her he had chosen a puppy already.

"Guilty as charged. When Greg was told that you were coming to see him about looking for a puppy for Connor he called me and let me know what was going on. He asked me what I wanted him to do. I told him to act as though I hadn't been there but to lead you to the puppy that I had chosen. I did that because I wanted you to have the fun of looking for the right puppy and I also wanted to see if you would choose the same one as I did."

"I know why I chose him but why did you choose this one?" Cordelia asked.

"Watch." Angel picked up the puppy again and held it close to his face. He changed into his Vampire face. The puppy looked at him and at first he growled and his hair stood on end then he sniffed Angels face and his tail started wagging again and he started to lick his face again.

"He did the same thing when I visited his litter with Greg. All of the other puppies growled and barked at me and went running to the corner of the room. When that happened I knew that he was the one. I told the owner that I would pick him up the next evening and that I wanted him to have a bath and all of his papers ready." Angel put the puppy down then and the puppy went running to Cordelia. He started smelling her hands and arm.

"Connor and Cordelia, I want you to understand that I had to make sure that this puppy would except me because in the past I've had to kill some dogs that, out of fear, attacked me." Connor and Cordelia were quiet for a while as they thought about what Angel had said. Connor and Cordelia then returned their attention to the puppy.

"I think you smell Kathleen. Let me get her so you can meet her." Cordelia picked Kathleen up carefully and brought her over to the bed where the puppy was.

"Connor, come over here and hold him so you can make sure that he doesn't put his big paws on your little sister. Connor picked his puppy up and held onto his front legs as he sat on the bed next to Cordelia. He carefully let the puppy stick his nose into the blanket that Kathleen was wrapped in. The puppy seemed to sense that this was a special person and he had to be careful around it so when he poked his nose at it he did so very gently and barely touched Kathleen. The puppy looked up at Cordelia then Connor as though he was asking a question.

Connor saw the questioning look on the puppy so he carefully pulled Kathleen's hand out of the blanket and held it towards the puppy so he could smell her hand. Then he said "Kathleen, this is Kathleen." The puppy smelled her little hand then licked it and started to wiggle as though he wanted to get down.

"Connor I am going to talk to Greg and see if he knows of a reputable dog trainer in Sunnydale. You are going to have to start this little guys obedience training as soon as possible and I don't know too much about it. When I was young we had dogs on the family farm but they were kept for herding and guarding the cows and sheep and I had very little to do with them. My Father, being the way he was, didn't want me to have anything to do with them except feeding them. He was afraid that I would love them too much and make pets of them. This little guy though I think will be your constant companion which means he has to learn to be a part of the team when we are fighting. For now though all he has to do is learn basic commands. I want you, while your gone for the summer. to learn about wolves and how the family units work. Even though this is a domesticated dog he still thinks like a wolf, as far as the pack mentality goes. When you train him Connor use your mind as well as the spoken word. I have the ability to communicate with wolves to a certain degree and whether you have this same ability or not I don't know, but try it."

"How does he talk to you?" Connor was excited about the possibility that he could talk to his new companion.

"Remember when you touched Cordelia's stomach when you tried to communicate with Kathleen before she was born?" Angel asked. "Yes." "What you saw in Kathleen's mind is pretty much the same thing that I see in his mind, it's all pictures of his litter mates, his mother and father, and the space that they were kept in. Unlike Kathleen though he will never be able to give you words only pictures. You can give him words, which will be commands associated with pictures but that's all."

The puppy wanted out so he went to the door and scratched at it then turned and looked at Connor. "Try communicating with him now, see if he will tell you what he wants." Angel told Connor.

Connor concentrated on the puppies mind and he got a picture of the garden dirt. "I think he wants to go pee because he has a picture of the garden in his mind." "Good that's what I am getting also. Why don't you two go to bed when he's done and we'll talk some more tomorrow."

Connor left with the puppy then and they ran downstairs to the garden. Connor had to pick him up to go downstairs since stairs where new to him but put him down once they got down to the first floor. When he was done they went back to Connors room and Connor quickly took his clothes off and jumped into bed. He picked up the puppy and put him beside him on the bed. It had been a big day and they were both tired. The puppy squirmed his way up and under Connors arm and within minutes they were both sleeping.

The next morning everyone was up and downstairs at the dinning room table by 9 A.M.. Fred had stacks of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages that the ladies were just bringing in to the dinning room when Connor came downstairs with the puppy. He took him out to the garden right away after saying good morning to everyone. They heard Connor calling the puppy Toby. Fifteen minutes later he came back in and went to the kitchen then came out again.

"Uh Fred do you have something that I can feed the puppy this morning?" "Sure Connor there is some hamburger left in a container, it's already cooked. Warm it up along with a handful of rice. He should be able to eat about 2 cup fulls of food." "Thanks."

Connor quickly fed the puppy then came and sat down at the table for his breakfast. Everyone was watching him pile on the pancakes, eggs, and sausages. He got up and went into the kitchen to get a large glass of milk. He also poured a small bowl of milk for his puppy then went back to the table. As he was shoveling the food into his mouth everyone was still watching him.

"Connor slow down your going to make yourself sick." His grandmother said. "What's the hurry?"

"I want to go over and see Greg so he can show me what I should be teaching Toby to do. I already called him to say I was coming over."

"So you've decided to call him Toby?" Angel said. "Yeah, I heard the name somewhere and I thought he looks like a Toby. I tried calling him different names and he didn't seem to like them so I tried Toby and he seemed to like it."

"Has he had an accident inside yet?" Cordelia asked. "No he seems to be doing pretty good so far." Connor had slowed down in eating his food since they had started to engage him in conversation.

"Wesley, now that I have passed my GED what do we do about college?"

"That depends on you right now Connor. Where do you want to go to school?" Wesley asked as he pushed his plate away and drank his coffee.

"Now that I have Toby I want to stay here. How about UCLA? I've been checking out what they have to offer and I think that they have an excellent program for Police work and business administration." Connor finished his breakfast and leaned back in his chair.

"Besides having Toby now I just don't want to be away from home again. I want to spend as much time here as I possibly can. I want to be able to play with Kathleen as she grows and if I go away I wont be able to fight demons and Vampires and I may get out of shape like you old people." He said this with a grin. "My senses and skills might start to get rusty if I don't push myself to the limit once in awhile."

"I guess that's it then, before you go to see Greg lets go to UCLA and register you. We can pick out your first semester classes while we are there and possibly see a counselor." Wesley got up from the table. "I'll meet you down here in 15 minutes. Wear something nice Connor."

Both Fred and Wesley were downstairs and waiting for Connor within fifteen minutes. Connor came running down the stairs just 3 minutes later.

"Where is Toby?" Fred asked when she didn't see him tagging along. "Grandma and Giles are puppy sitting." Connor said. Wesley was looking him over to make sure he was dressed appropriately.

Connor noticed him checking him out. "Do I pass inspection?" "Yes you'll do. Lets get going now we have a lot to get done today. Do you have your letter stating that you passed your GED?" Connor pulled it out of his jacket pocket and showed it to them. "Good, lets go now."

While Connor was gone for the day Dr. Martin was in her room with Giles and having fun with Toby. At the moment Giles was using a toy rope to play tug of war with Toby and Dr. Martin was resting on the bed. The phone rang and she picked it up.

Dr. Martin was on the phone for almost 30 minutes. When she hung up she continued to lay on the bed. "Giles come and lay down with me so I can talk with you for a few minutes."

Giles went to the other side of the bed and brought the puppy with him. Apparently it was time for Toby's morning nap because he came over to Dr. Martin and pushed his way in between her and Giles. Without thinking about it she started to slowly run her hand over his head and around his ears. She found that it helped her to relax.

"Who was it that called that has you upset?" Giles asked as he laid on his side towards her and supported his head with his hand.

"Giles that was Mike. They sent my uterus and ovaries to a pathologist after they took them out. Mike said that my uterus was blackened on the inside because of when they stuck a wire up inside of me and electrocuted me. It's routine to have the uterus and ovaries examined for any abnormalities. Giles when they examined mine they found an area of tissue that couldn't be explained away as part of the burning from the electricity." Dr. Martin turned on her side and looked at Giles. She had tears in her eyes and that scared Giles.

"Giles, Mike said that it was cancer. He said that in a way the rape was a blessing in disguise. The cancer was just starting to grow and by taking out my uterus and ovaries they got a good head start in fighting it. The pathologist said that he didn't find cancer in any place else but that small patch of tissue. Mike has made an appointment for me with an Oncologist in Sunnydale for next week Monday at nine in the morning."

"What does he think the prognosis is?" Giles asked as he held her closer as though he could protect her from this ancient demon.

"He said, and I agree, that if we fight it aggressively with drugs there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to come back to Los Angeles cancer free."

"And we have to thank what those demons did to you, right?" "Basically, yes, if that hadn't happened to me they wouldn't of had to remove my uterus and I may of not felt the affects of the cancer until it had grown out of my uterus and into other organs and then my chances of survival would have been greatly reduced." Giles wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"We'll get through this together Mary, I'll be with you always." Giles kissed her then and his thoughts were going towards more, but then just as he started to unbutton her blouse Toby started to squirm his way between them.

Giles and Mary looked down at the baby they had consented to take care of for the day.

"I think she may want to go outside. Let's take her for a walk outside and then we need to start packing. We don't have to wait for the rest to be able to leave so we can leave as soon as Connor gets back okay?" Mary asked. She seemed to have a great need to separate herself from the occupants of the hotel.

"Sure Mary we can leave as soon as he gets back, but for now lets take care of our Great Grandchild." Mary laughed at his reference to Toby. They got off of the bed then and took their charge outside to take care of business. While waiting for him to smell every corner of the garden Mary and Giles sat on the stone wall that surrounded the tree in the back. "I can't believe that I am actually taking time to smell the roses as they say." Mary said to Giles.

"I'm glad that you will be with me through this Rupert. I have had to go through so much in my life all alone with no one but God to stand with me. He has been with me throughout my whole life." When Toby came back to them they went back in and started to pack.

"Cordelia." Angel called to her from his chair in their suite. Cordelia was in the bathroom cleaning up their daughter after a particularly nasty dump of some nuclear waste.

"I'll be there in a minute Angel. I'm almost done with the removal of all nuclear waste."

"Are you going to put her down for her nap after you get done?" "Yes, she will be nice and tired after her bath. Why, did you want to do something?" "Yes, I want to start working on your portrait. Do you think you'll be to tired for that?"

When she didn't answer Angel started to get up. Cordelia came out with Kathleen wrapped up in a thick towel just as he was about to get up. "Did you hear me?" Angel asked her. "Yes I heard you. How are you going to want me to pose? Sitting up in a chair in a beautiful gown or is this going to be a nude portrait for just you and I to view. Don't forget that you have to have yours done also."

Angel was quiet while he thought about it. "How about if we have a professional come in here and take some pictures of us in the pose that I want us to be in for the painting. He can take them in all kinds of different lighting then I can draw the pictures and paint from the pictures. Now days the pictures come out so perfect with computer enhancements. What do you think?"

"That sounds good to me, it would save us both a lot of painful and boredom filled hours of posing. But I still want someone else to do your portrait." "Why? I can do mine just as well as yours since they will be done from pictures." "Because another artist will paint you as I see you. If you do your own portrait you might be tempted to make some areas bigger and others smaller."

Angel tried to keep a straight face. "I would never do that Cordelia. I am shocked that you would ever even suggest that I would do that." She knew he was kidding because in the end he failed to keep a straight face. "Oh please Angel, give me a break. If you look up the word vain in the dictionary it would have the words 'Vain - see Angel'." Angel put his drawing pad down and came over to Cordelia, he took her in his arms after she laid Kathleen in her bassinet.

"How can I possibly improve on perfection." Angel said as he pushed her on the bed and started to kiss her. He peeled her clothes off of her like she was a delicate grape whose delicate flesh would tear if he wasn't careful. When he was done she started to take his clothes off also. They spent the rest of the afternoon making passionate love to each other then went to sleep. After they had slept for an hour Kathleen woke up and started crying for attention. Cordelia was still sleeping so Angel got up and picked his daughter up and changed her then brought her to the bed and laid her next to Cordelia.

"How did you get over here my dear?" Cordelia asked when she was awakened by her daughter trying to reach for her breast. Cordelia positioned her so that she could nurse to her hearts content.

"Well what do you think?" Cordelia asked after she made her daughter comfortable. "What do I think about what?" Angel asked as he watched his daughter nursing. He was having fun teasing his daughter and trying to put his face on Cordelia's breast while she was nursing. Kathleen would try pushing him away when he got to close. After a while Kathleen started crying because her Daddy wouldn't leave her Mammas breast alone.

Cordelia slapped Angel on the back of his head. "Angel stop that, you mean thing, why are you teasing her?" "Owww." Angel was laughing as he reached up to his head and rubbed it. "Because I like seeing her reaction. I like seeing her tiny little hands trying to push my big head away. You know she is pretty strong for someone so tiny. I wonder if there are tests that can be performed to measure her intelligence and strengths against other children her age." "I don't know, I think I'll check it out on the internet though. So far Mom has taken care of her, as far as her shots go anyway, she may know of something that can be done. Can you take care of your daughter for a while? I have to put a load of laundry in the washing machine. This kid creates almost as much laundry as you and I put together."

Cordelia got up then and gathered the clothes from the dirty clothes hampers and headed downstairs. When she reached the bottom of the stairs in the lobby she noticed three suitcases were on the floor at the back doors. She ran down stairs then and started the washing machine then went upstairs to get a bottle of water. She poured some into a small milk bottle for Kathleen and then drank the rest and threw the bottle away. On her way upstairs she saw Mom and Giles outside. She put the bottle down on the dinning room table then went outside to join them.

"How's he doing?" Cordelia asked no one in particular as she leaned over the rail that was at the back steps. Both Dr. Martin and Giles turned around.

"He is doing pretty good so far. This is only our second time out here with him but he hasn't had any accidents." Giles said.

"I'm glad your down here Cordelia. I wanted to let you know that Rupert and I will be leaving for Sunnydale as soon as Connor gets back. So we won't be here for dinner." Dr. Martin said.

"If you want to go now Mom we'll take care of Toby." "I was hoping you would say that." Dr. Martin called to Toby who was already answering to his name. He obediently followed them up the stairs. As they came through the back doors Wesley, Fred and Connor were coming in through the front. Toby ran as fast as his little legs could go and practically jumped into Connors arms as he bent down to pick him up. Just like so many other puppies do when they get excited they lose control and urinate on the floor, Toby was no exception. No one yelled at him though because they all understood it was because he was excited.

Connor picked Toby up and of course was rewarded with a thorough cleansing of his face as he went to the kitchen to get some paper towels to clean up after his new friend.

Angel had heard all of the noise and came downstairs with Kathleen. "What's going on down here?" "Connor, Wesley and Fred just got back. Toby was so happy to see Connor that he wet the floor." Cordelia answered. "Who's suitcases are those." Angel asked.

"It's mine and Giles. We were just waiting for Connor to come back. I'm going to get my medical bag and purse then I'll be ready to go."

"Is their something wrong Mom? You look mighty tired as though you haven't been sleeping." Angel asked his mother. "Well Angel that is why I am going to Sunnydale so that I can get some rest and recuperate from the rape and surgery. Other then that Angel I am okay and coping, I just need some quiet time." She gave him a kiss on his cheek then went upstairs.

Angel went the rest of the way down the stairs and to the couch. Cordelia followed him to the couch and gave him the bottle of water for Kathleen. She took the nipple of the bottle into her mouth and started drinking the water. After only a second she pushed it away. She knew that it wasn't milk. Angel tried again to get her to drink the water. She was proving to be just as stubborn as her Daddy.

"She won't take it Cordy, she knows it's water and not milk."

"Lets see how much stronger your mind is over hers. Try giving it to her again and think of what my milk tasted like." Angel tried thinking of what Cordy's milk tasted like and put the image of her breast into Kathleen's mind. Then he offered her the water filled bottle again. She took it and didn't stop until it was empty.

Angel gave the bottle back to Cordelia then burped his daughter. Giles had been watching him all of the time. He came over and sat on the coffee table across from Angel and Cordelia.

"Angel I wanted to tell you that I am going to propose to Mary while we are in Sunnydale. I also want you to know that if she excepts then I will be moving to Los Angeles. I know how hard it would be on both of you to be separated. Buffy has Spike to help her now and they need to be on their own now. Willow knows almost as much as I do now as far as the different types of demons go. Maybe I'll open a magic shop over here also and that will keep me busy." They heard Dr. Martin coming down the stairs so Giles got up and went to her.

"Are you ready now?" "Yes I'm ready." Dr. Martin went to Cordelia and took Kathleen into her arms.

"Good bye my precious Godchild. Your Godmother is going to miss you, but when I come back you will be three months older and more interesting to be with. I understand that all you have on your wee little mind now is your Momma and all that she gives you. As for your Daddy I am going to tell him to stop teasing you. I know he does it just to see what he can make you do, but if he doesn't stop it the next time I have to hypnotize him I am going to suggest that he act like a chicken every time he hears you sneeze or something." Dr. Martin gave her Godchild a kiss and made the sign of the cross on her forehead before giving her back to Cordelia. She gave Cordelia a hug and a kiss then gave her, her blessing.

"Take care of everyone for me Cordelia." "I will Mom, have a good rest and don't let Giles make you do too much research for them." Dr. Martin turned to Angel then.

Angel picked her up as he hugged her and whispered in her ear "I know that something else is wrong Momma, but I respect your right for privacy. When and if you should need me just give me a call and I'll be there as soon as I possibly can. I love you." He gave her a kiss on her cheek then put her down. Dr. Martin was afraid she wouldn't be able to control her voice and tears if she said anything. She gave him her blessing then picked up her medical bag and purse and left with Giles.

Since Connor was going to Sunnydale also he had gone upstairs with Toby and was packing his things. Connor packed as teenage boys packed by throwing everything into his bag. He didn't take anything that even resembled a school book or anything that would even come close to representing knowledge of any kind. He had already signed up for all of the classes that he had to take this coming semester and he knew he was going to be making his brain cells smoke from being over used. Connor had recently discovered the world of Comic Books and that was the only reading material he was taking. He picked up his bag, a couple of hangers that had a suit and a nice pants and jacket that Cordelia had bought him. It was a black corduroy jacket that looked just like the one she had special ordered for Angel. He headed down stairs along with Toby and deposited everything at the back door.

Connor found Angel and Cordelia in his office. Cordelia was nursing Kathleen when he came in. Connor had his camera with him so he could take a picture of them all together. "Can I take a picture of you guys before I leave?" "Wait until she finishes Connor. I don't want people to see the picture with my breast hanging out."

"Did Wesley set up a personal checking account for you today?" Angel asked Connor while he played with Toby. As soon as Toby had seen Angel he had jumped onto the couch and into his lap. Toby just loved Angel for some reason and always came running to him when he saw him.

"Yeah. He put ten thousand in it and gave me a Visa credit card also." "So your all set?" Angel asked. Angel tossed him the keys to the mansion and an extra key that Spike had given him for Buffy's house. Connor was going to need it since he was going to stay at Buffy's house and Spike and Buffy were going to stay at the mansion. That wouldn't happen though until they put Dawn on the plane to join her father in L.A.. Spike wasn't taking any more chances then he had to. School wasn't over for Dawn until next week so she wasn't leaving for at least another week.

While they had been talking Kathleen had finished and Cordelia had covered herself up again. Connor stood up again and prepared to take their picture. Kathleen was now able to hold her head up so Cordelia held her between Angel and her and Toby was between them under Kathleen. Connor took several shots. When he was done they all went into the lobby where they heard Spike and Buffy.

"Let's get going Connor. Do you know how to get there by yourself or are you going to follow me?" Spike asked. "I think I'll follow you, have you two eaten because I haven't and I'm starving." Connor asked. "No, not yet. We can stop at a steak house on our way. That way you can get something for Toby also." Spike said. He turned to Cordelia and Angel and kissed Cordelia goodbye he then turned to Angel and shook his hand but Angel pulled him into a hug. "Take care of my boy Spike. Don't lead him astray. Keep an eye on them Buffy. You know how Spike is." Angel gave Buffy a kiss on her cheek then along with a hug. Buffy gave Kathleen a kiss and told Cordelia "We'll be working on making one of our own again. I hope that Dr. Martins treatment took so that the next one will be a keeper." Cordelia hugged Buffy. "You'll make it this time Buffy. Nothing against you Buffy but I hope that the next time we see you that you and Spike will be getting sick all over the place." They laughed then and Angel helped Spike pick up their suitcases and take them out to their car. They all got in their car and van and left then.

Angel and Cordelia went back in then and they just stood in the middle of the lobby. Angel finally spoke up then. "It's going to be mighty quiet now that they are all gone."

Just as he said that though Wesley, Fred and Gunn came in through the front doors and Cordelia went to the round couch to sit down where she could put Kathleen down. She bent forward with her hands to her head. She was having a vision for the first time in a long time. She wrote down the information as to where a group of teenagers were being attacked.

Angel, Gunn and Wesley went to the weapons cabinet and ran out to Gunn's truck. Fred stayed with Cordelia. Cordelia put Kathleen in the bassinet and pulled it over to the kitchen where she could keep an eye on her as Fred and her went into the kitchen to start dinner. They had to keep on reminding themselves that they only had to fix half as much as they usually did since they were back to the original amount of people again.

THE END

of

THE GIFT

My next and final story will be REDEMPTION. This story will see an invasion of babies that will grow up to create the next generation of ANGEL INVESTIGATION. Angel will finally receive his redemption and Wesley will be the last to leave this world and rejoin his associates.

I want to thank my loyal readers for all of their reviews. Each time I received one it encouraged me to continue. It also put a grin on my face that almost fell off because my face couldn't accommodate all of it. Thank you once again.


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